So this is a reproducible research application suite built on Node.JS, the epitome of non-reproducibility and characterised by fast pace, little care for compatibility, and an ecosystem of volatile libraries?
> Reproducible research depends on reproducible execution, which depends on a reproducible environment, which depends on a reproducible set of libraries and frameworks.
Completely agree. We are trying to make it easy for people to use reproducible libraries and environments. To this end, we are developing Nix environments (a highly reproducible way of defining computing environments) which include Stencila "execution contexts" for R, Python etc with standard libraries included. These environments can be connected to the user interface. See https://github.com/stencila/images/ for more details.
Either way, wish the project luck! Reproducible scientific studies is paramount.
That it's popular means nothing. Windows is the most popular operating system, pop is the most popular genre of music, oil is the most popular fuel, since decades. This doesn't invalidate their utility or our appreciation of them, but it does not mean they're good for everything.