Yes, synchronous code is the norm for many. In Java, which is where I'm from, this is due to a limitation on the JEE spec. While some servers do provide thread pools (JBoss and WebSphere), that behavior is beyond the spec and breaks the ability to switch to any container you like.
Some issues Ruby/Rails faces is due to both the language and the framework. It is not uncommon for JEE apps to pull back 10k objects, show 10 to a user and pitch the rest. ORMs like Hibernate tend to be fairly quick, especially when tuned. As a result synch code is not that problematic.
This might start to change with the advent of Scala in JVM on the server. The actors it provides MIGHT make Oracle rethink the spec a bit. But I doubt it.
Some issues Ruby/Rails faces is due to both the language and the framework. It is not uncommon for JEE apps to pull back 10k objects, show 10 to a user and pitch the rest. ORMs like Hibernate tend to be fairly quick, especially when tuned. As a result synch code is not that problematic.
This might start to change with the advent of Scala in JVM on the server. The actors it provides MIGHT make Oracle rethink the spec a bit. But I doubt it.