Textbook of Linux

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Clojure

A modern Lisp dialect for the JVM.

Clojure is a dynamic, functional Lisp dialect that targets the JVM (and, via ClojureScript, JavaScript). Immutable data structures, software-transactional memory, lazy sequences, and seamless interop with Java libraries are the central features. The language is a single-form, prefix-based, parenthesised syntax — Lisp through and through — which contrasts sharply with the prevailing C-family conventions.

Rich Hickey released Clojure in 2007 after years of independent development. The accompanying talks (most famously "Are We There Yet?", "Hammock Driven Development", and "Simple Made Easy") have been widely influential beyond Clojure itself, shaping broader thinking about software design and the role of data.

Clojure is used at Nubank (Brazil's largest fintech, almost entirely Clojure), CircleCI, Walmart Labs, and many smaller data-engineering and finance teams. The language is governed by Cognitect (which Nubank acquired in 2020); Hickey continues to lead language design. Clojure's blend of Lisp ergonomics and JVM-ecosystem access keeps it a defining "polyglot Java shop secondary language" choice.

Linux:   curl -O https://download.clojure.org/install/linux-install.sh && chmod +x linux-install.sh && sudo ./linux-install.sh
macOS:   brew install clojure/tools/clojure