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I thought the traditional simple solution (e.g., while building the panama canal) was to put a thin layer of oil over your stagnant water.

Yes - they put kerosene on it which suffocates them. Unfortunately it's quite toxic to anything which enters and exists the water plus there is some indication (after the whole BP Deepwater Horizon fuck up + Corexit that used deodorised kerosene) that it is toxic if absorbed.

That's not simpler, because the soap will disperse eventually so it would need to be continually replenished. The apparent attraction of this device is you set it up once and it keeps working for years without further maintenance.

Until it doesn't and you don't know.

Also kills water striders.

They're hardly innocent or desirable either. They devour everything in sight right up to the size of bees including things that eat mosquitoes and they bring parasites when they migrate between bodies of water which kill things that eat mosquitoes. Plus they can swim fine under the surface.