[gherkinnn]

> To me, the more fundamental problem is the fact that we spread state across multiple computers.

I completely agree. Sharing a layer of an application between client and server is a nightmare and will fly in your face.

That said, it is possible to cleanly handle more involved interaction on the FE and have a clean separation of responsibilities. When well done, the results are very snappy and robust. Of course, it isn't always necessary, and most RoR applications beat that 5mb Angular behemoth.