> But with that said, if you love React, why not help work on the core? I'm sure there are issues with React that need solving and if you've got the time your effort may be better spent on there.
It's not that simple. One of the biggest critic towards the official React implementation is its big size, which is a direct consequence of the decision by the core team to include many "enterprise" features (IE support, safety checks, etc) to suit their needs. Some people like to make different compromise, e.g. more minimal one. You cannot easily change "political" decisions by contributing, also not all features are easy to modularize (esp. for outsiders).
Sometimes it's easier to implement similar API from scratch to test your own ideas than forking an existing (mammoth) project.
It's not that simple. One of the biggest critic towards the official React implementation is its big size, which is a direct consequence of the decision by the core team to include many "enterprise" features (IE support, safety checks, etc) to suit their needs. Some people like to make different compromise, e.g. more minimal one. You cannot easily change "political" decisions by contributing, also not all features are easy to modularize (esp. for outsiders).
Sometimes it's easier to implement similar API from scratch to test your own ideas than forking an existing (mammoth) project.
Btw, another "tiny react" implementation: https://github.com/developit/preact