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Clojerl – Clojure for the Erlang VM

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Re: Clojerl – Clojure for the Erlang VM

#11
post #7
post #3

Why would I use this over elixir?

If you want a Lisp (although there are multiple Lisps for the BEAM). If you want to help build a new language. If you don’t like Elixir’s syntax (raises hand).

Just curious--what don't you like about Elixir's syntax?

Re: Clojerl – Clojure for the Erlang VM

#12
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want a Lisp (although there are multiple Lisps for the BEAM). If you want to help build a new language. If you don’t like Elixir’s syntax (raises hand).

Just curious--what don't you like about Elixir's syntax?

I don't particularly care for the ambiguity that stems from facets of it being optional, nor the way function match arms are defined, nor the :atom or lowercase variable naming syntax. The mixing of do and -> kinda bugs me as well. :shrug:

Though my opinion on the matter is deeply colored and probably unreliable because I'm one of those weirdos that thinks that Erlang syntax is actually quite nice for the most part.

Also, I'm in no position to complain since currently my technical life (what little is left not making slide decks) now revolves around Rust, Agda, and TLA+ (god help me).

Re: Clojerl – Clojure for the Erlang VM

#13
post #8
post #3

Why would I use this over elixir?

I can think of a few reasons: same language between front and backend, extensive standard library, repl driven development, simplicity, brevity, spec.

With Phoenix + LiveView maybe you won't need the frontend.

Re: Clojerl – Clojure for the Erlang VM

#14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just curious--what don't you like about Elixir's syntax?

I don't particularly care for the ambiguity that stems from facets of it being optional, nor the way function match arms are defined, nor the :atom or lowercase variable naming syntax. The mixing of do and -> kinda bugs me as well. :shrug: Though my opinion on the matter is deeply colored and probably unreliable because I'm one of those weirdos that thinks that Erlang syntax is actually quite nice for the most part.…

I’m also one of those weirdos. I’m a big fan of Erlang syntax: very concise, mostly trivial to read (although list comprehensions can get hairy).

Re: Clojerl – Clojure for the Erlang VM

#15
post #5

Sorry for the off topic. Any good recommendations for a Clojure book for a seasoned programmer but with little exposure to Lisps?

I taught myself Clojure with [Clojure for the Brave and True](https://www.braveclojure.com). It's a silly (free) online resource. I grew up learning Common Lisp and Scheme, and it was really easy for me to get into. That just meant I skipped the first chapter. It quickly got into doing things the Clojure Way™ and how to leverage its strengths. Highly recommended.

Re: Clojerl – Clojure for the Erlang VM

#16
post #6
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t ...

The JVM is a kitchen sink environment. The BEAM is very opinionated. I would expect the VM built from the ground up to support a specific programming model to be superior at doing just that.

In addition, every library written for the BEAM in any language is designed for message passing and the actor model. Clojure would not have that advantage on the JVM.

Re: Clojerl – Clojure for the Erlang VM

#17
post #5

Sorry for the off topic. Any good recommendations for a Clojure book for a seasoned programmer but with little exposure to Lisps?

I taught myself Clojure with [Clojure for the Brave and True]( https://www.braveclojure.com ). It's a silly (free) online resource. I grew up learning Common Lisp and Scheme, and it was really easy for me to get into. That just meant I skipped the first chapter. It quickly got into doing things the Clojure Way ™ and how to leverage its strengths. Highly recommended.

I second this resource, it's well explained and was also concise enough so that I actually finished it. Definitely covers the the important bits and a lot of advanced bits like macros and atoms, etc.

Re: Clojerl – Clojure for the Erlang VM

#19
post #5

Sorry for the off topic. Any good recommendations for a Clojure book for a seasoned programmer but with little exposure to Lisps?

Getting Clojure by Russ Olsen. It's the most recently published of the introductory Clojure books and imo the best written.
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