> [...] but most importantly you have to architect your website to match what the framework expects.

I guess that's what a framework is about. You get some abstractions that make your life easier and you pay by buying into the concepts.

> [...] some friends I've talked to where still on Next.js 12 and really felt the pressure to upgrade to not fall behind even more.

If the current version is doing its job, why update? It's a SSG not a browser that connects to the internet.

So I disagree. I'll not write my own and keep the existing one as long it's not too much hassle.