> 1. i haven’t invested enough time on learning it.
I usually find the types of tutorials Brad references in this section to be very bad at actually connecting with the real process of using a framework. What you're building is just as important as what you're building it with. When you find the right project to use the right tool, it helps the principals click so much more quickly.
> 2. react and es6 travel together
This is definitely a pain point but I think the crux of this is JSX. Most every other convention in React is a very straightforward use of ES6 syntax. Most of the awesome, difficult, but not broadly available parts (generators) of ES6 aren't used in React's public API.
> 3. syntax & conventions
I think React could benefit from a clearer breakdown of how JSX translates to actual JavaScript. Babel's REPL is a good first step. [0]
> 4. getting lost in this-land.
For the most part I've found React's use of JavaScript OOP and `this` to be the most sane. You can use what amounts to a bit of boilerplate in any component that needs state and use `this` within lifecycle methods without batting an eye. Backbone and Angular had all kinds of headaches when trying to explain `this` to junior developers. And don't get me started on libraries that used `this` to pass context around.
> 5. i haven’t found sample projects or tutorials that match how i tend to work.
I think React excels at matching his ideal workflow, but doesn't do a good job explaining how to achieve it. Higher Order components and smart/presentation components are very under-documented.
[0]: https://babeljs.io/repl/#?babili=false&browsers=&build=&buil...