<rant> IMHO, this is a problem not only with npm but with entire Javascript eco-system.

Every new framework has to re-imagine and re-invent what has been done forever. Not only that, we need to wrap it with new jargon, because otherwise it'll not be the next cool thing (TM).

Regardless of the framework, we finally end up with a declarative format for representing things. But that isn't how it is planned from the beginning. Instead, an entire generation of developers go through one version, and then have to migrate to the next version which breaks everything. So now we have groups of developers defending their decisions.

Considering that most of the frameworks are open source, I don't see a collective approach to designing APIs. Yes, I know about web components, but that isn't going anywhere in the near future. </rant>