> core properties of web infrastructure

That seems more like an implementation opinion vs. a core property.

Agree that it was a pain to keep up with sometimes, but if software doesn't evolve over a 25 year timespan - it's likely going to be stuck in the past.

The reason Drupal can do what it does today is because of this willingness to rebuild - otherwise it'd just be a CMS that solves problems from the early 2000s.