> it turns out that we can achieve a similar programming model without using virtual DOM — and that's where Svelte comes in
The abstraction is valuable, but its cost need not be so high. I do wish they'd elaborate on what Svelte does differently though, or link to another post which elaborates.
The "Rethinking" post gives a little more detail:
> Instead, Svelte runs at build time, converting your components into highly efficient imperative code that surgically updates the DOM. As a result, you're able to write ambitious applications with excellent performance characteristics.
https://svelte.dev/blog/svelte-3-rethinking-reactivity
Seems like a great idea, if it can gain the critical mass required and build a community of people developing code for it.