Also a dev and I can't stand it either. It's like everyone started using designs intended for high res phones and completely threw out the last two decades of UI standards. A web page shouldn't feel like it's zoomed in to 400% when you look at it on a normal size monitor.

For the most part, I do embedded programming, but there have been a few times I've had to do something in C# for a Win32 application with a GUI. And yeah, the artistry part is the hardest/most time consuming. Last one I did, oh is it gorgeous looking for an industrial application, but I had that shit projected onto a 12-foot screen to see it better, and I was up there with the ruler then moving things one pixel to the left.. one to the right... nope still looks fucked up... arghh!!

Development encompasses much more than web-dev, but yeah, the current method of web development is total trash. Code-bros importing and loading every framework, font, graphic, etc. under the sun and then using maybe 0.0005% of each. And ZERO thought into code readability, usability, upgradeability, etc.

It's not JavaScript itself. It's the way JavaScript is being used with all of the "runtime environments" and some very very shitty coding. I've been using JavaScript for 13 years now and my code is tight and runs fast - mostly because I don't use any tools. I code everything from scratch.

I've been playing around with old school x86 on my Tandy 1000 TL lately, just learned how to somewhat program the CGA and TGA (Tandy Graphics Adapter). Holy shit man, there's all kinds of torture fun in trying to get some roll your own CGA graphics going in assembly.

spot on, man! Even Linux has been heading down suck lane. You have the choice between bloated crap GUI, or the shell. I don't mind the shell, but it's just not reasonable to expect everything to be done by the shell (and my short term memory is shot, so I can't remember every &^%$ command under the sun!).

How blind are you? https://pic8.co/sh/WLIYCx.png

previous/current jobs I write a lot of code to collect measurement data from electronic test equipment (o-scopes, meters, vnas, etc.). now they added DBA to that as well, and half my job is managing databases. I don't mind, the variety is nice, and I've always liked databases (I'm weird, I know).
but yeah, like you I don't really care that much for front end design. I'm more of a practical, realistic person than a fancy "designer".

one quick example is my android phone. in the contacts app, there is a single bar that has contact name and a little phone icon. there is absolutely no indication that it is a clickable item, but in actuality, it is two distinct clickable items. tapping the name brings you to the contact details, and tapping the phone icon actually makes a call. crappy design.
how about VS Code. It seems like a good program, but really difficult to navigate due to the fact that every ounce of real estate has some special feature and all the UI elements just blend into each other. you are supposed to click the gutter for a breakpoint, but there is zero bounds to show where the gutter begins or ends. or how about the click and drag from the bottom to bring up the terminal/output/etc. but there is no clear indication that there is anything there. you just have to "know". I could go on for days about VS code.... how about the web pages with endless scrolling. Argh!!! try to bookmark something a ways down on that how about the pop-out videos whenever you scroll on bazillions of sites across the net. how about the MS Office ribbons with the kindergarten icons. how about the ... icon that is supposed to be settings or preferences or whatever. try being in a support position and guiding a newbie user on how to change a setting. how do you describe that? at least a gear icon is recognizable. "please click on the dot dot dot". that goes over real well. or how about the "waffle" that MS is using on o365 and sharepointeeeee. or the absolutely retarded icons they have. Power BI is another cluster**** of goofy web-like design that is difficult to navigate.