With regards to #2, I used to think that a fully sync render function was a limitation of React, but have come to appreciate the fact that React tries to restrict its concerns to a very small, but significant piece. We've been working on solving the async data fetching use case in the router over the past few months, working with the Relay team as well, and we're starting to converge on some ideas and patterns that we think will help. But it's my personal opinion that sync render isn't a problem.
With regards to #2, I used to think that a fully sync render function was a limitation of React, but have come to appreciate the fact that React tries to restrict its concerns to a very small, but significant piece. We've been working on solving the async data fetching use case in the router over the past few months, working with the Relay team as well, and we're starting to converge on some ideas and patterns that we think will help. But it's my personal opinion that sync render isn't a problem.