static source vs. dynamic output

[Raoul Duke]

html templates with for loops. 

never feels right. 

but alternatives all have drawbacks too, duh. 

embodies a basic core problem of software development: we go from static sources with variables (how many items to loop over) to a dynamic result (how long the output is). 

the html situation is worse in that it has the extra dimensions of layout & styling & interactivity. ui is like def one of the hardest things in software development since it has so many intertwined aspects.