Clojure
Clojure is a dynamic, general-purpose programming language. It combines the approachability and interactive development of a scripting language with an efficient and robust infrastructure for multithreaded programming and the performance gains of compiling and running on the JVM. It is a lisp dialect that runs on the JVM, enabling the use of Java code side by side with Clojure.
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About Clojure
Clojure is a dynamic programming language that targets the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Designed as a general purpose language, Clojure combines the approachability of a scripting language with a robust infrastructure for multithreaded programming.
Clojure is predominantly a functional programming language, and features a rich set of immutable, persistent data structures.
Clojure is open source, and information about contributing to the language can be found here.
Rich Hickey, the creator of Clojure, wanted a modern Lisp for functional programming, symbiotic with the established Java platform, and designed for concurrency; thus, Clojure was born.
Here are a couple quotes that exemplify the goals of Clojure:
- Good design is not about making grand plans, but about taking things apart.
- Programming is not about typing...it's about thinking.
Key Features of Clojure
Lisp
Extends Lisp's code-as-data system to vectors and maps, and has a powerful macro system.
Dynamic
Clojure's primary programming interface is the Read-Eval-Print-Loop (REPL).
Functional
Allows avoiding mutable state, provides functions as first-class objects, and emphasizes recursion.
Practical
Doesn’t force programs to be referentially transparent, and doesn’t strive for 'provable' programs.
Concurrent
Supports sharing changing state between threads in a synchronous and coordinated manner.
JVM Hosted
Shares the JVM type system, GC, threads etc. Compiles all functions to JVM bytecode.
Lisp
Extends Lisp's code-as-data system to vectors and maps, and has a powerful macro system.
Dynamic
Clojure's primary programming interface is the Read-Eval-Print-Loop (REPL).
Functional
Allows avoiding mutable state, provides functions as first-class objects, and emphasizes recursion.
Practical
Doesn’t force programs to be referentially transparent, and doesn’t strive for 'provable' programs.
Concurrent
Supports sharing changing state between threads in a synchronous and coordinated manner.
JVM Hosted
Shares the JVM type system, GC, threads etc. Compiles all functions to JVM bytecode.
