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CMU Common Lisp VS Clojure

Compare CMU Common Lisp VS Clojure and see what are their differences

CMU Common Lisp logo CMU Common Lisp

CMUCL is a high-performance, free Common Lisp implementation.

Clojure logo Clojure

Clojure is a dynamic, general-purpose programming language, combining the approachability and interactive development of a scripting language with an efficient and robust infrastructure for multithreaded programming.
  • CMU Common Lisp Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-04-15
  • Clojure Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19

We recommend LibHunt Clojure for discovery and comparisons of trending Clojure projects.

CMU Common Lisp features and specs

  • High-Performance Compiler
    CMU Common Lisp features an efficient native code compiler that can produce highly optimized code for the supported platforms, enhancing performance for computationally-intensive applications.
  • Extensive Library Support
    Includes a wide variety of libraries, providing functionality ranging from numerical computing to system interfacing, which allows developers to implement diverse applications without relying heavily on external packages.
  • Strong Typing System
    CMUCL provides a strong type system with good error detection and optimization capabilities that can help catch errors at compile-time and improve runtime performance.
  • Garbage Collection
    It includes an efficient garbage collector that manages memory naturally, minimizing manual intervention and reducing memory leaks and fragmentation in applications.
  • Comprehensive Integrated Development Environment
    CMUCL comes with an integrated environment which includes a debugger, inspector, and an interface for efficient development and troubleshooting.

Possible disadvantages of CMU Common Lisp

  • Limited Platform Support
    The number of platforms explicitly supported by CMUCL is limited, which can be a constraint for developers who need to work across multiple or newer systems.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Newcomers might find CMUCL challenging due to its complexity and the intricate features specific to Lisp, requiring a steep learning curve compared to more modern languages and environments.
  • Outdated Documentation
    Some users find the documentation to be outdated or not comprehensive enough, making it difficult to get started and fully leverage the system's capabilities.
  • Limited Community Support
    The user and contributor community for CMUCL is relatively small compared to other languages and projects, which may result in less frequent updates and fewer third-party resources.
  • Complex Setup Process
    Initial setup and configuration of CMUCL can be cumbersome, especially for users not familiar with Lisp environments or those who require specific custom configurations.

Clojure features and specs

  • Functional Programming Paradigm
    Clojure emphasizes immutability and first-class functions, which can lead to more predictable and maintainable code.
  • Interoperability with Java
    Clojure runs on the JVM, allowing seamless integration with the vast ecosystem of Java libraries and tools.
  • REPL Driven Development
    Clojure's Read-Eval-Print Loop (REPL) allows for interactive programming, making it easier to test and debug code in real time.
  • Concise Syntax
    Clojure's syntax is minimalistic and expressive, which can lead to more concise and readable code.
  • Concurrency Support
    Clojure provides strong support for concurrent programming with features like Software Transactional Memory (STM) and immutable data structures.

Possible disadvantages of Clojure

  • Steep Learning Curve
    The functional programming paradigm and Lisp-like syntax can be challenging for newcomers, particularly those from imperative programming backgrounds.
  • Performance Overhead
    Clojure's emphasis on immutability can introduce performance overhead compared to languages that use mutable data structures.
  • Limited Tooling
    While improving, the ecosystem for Clojure is not as mature as for some other mainstream languages, which can pose challenges in finding robust development and debugging tools.
  • Less Mainstream
    Clojure is not as commonly used as languages like Python or Java, which can make it harder to find experienced developers or community support.
  • Verbose Error Messages
    Error messages in Clojure can sometimes be verbose and difficult to understand, which can complicate the debugging process.

CMU Common Lisp videos

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Clojure videos

What is the business value of Clojure?

More videos:

  • Review - Blog in Clojure Code Review
  • Review - Clojure Web App Code Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to CMU Common Lisp and Clojure)
Programming Language
21 21%
79% 79
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
OOP
23 23%
77% 77
Generic Programming Language

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Clojure seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 39 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

CMU Common Lisp mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of CMU Common Lisp yet. Tracking of CMU Common Lisp recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Clojure mentions (39)

  • Create a Server Driven CLI from your REST API
    Another project of mine Bob can be seen as an example of spec-first design. All its tooling follow that idea and its CLI inspired Climate. A lot of Bob uses Clojure a language that I cherish and who's ideas make me think better in every other place too. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Scheming About Clojure
    Clojure is a LISP for the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). As a schemer, I wondered if I should give Clojure a go professionally. After all, I enjoy Rich Hickey's talks and even Uncle Bob is a Clojure fan. So I considered strength and weaknesses from my point of view:. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Moving your bugs forward in time
    ‍For the rest of this post I’ll list off some more tactical examples of things that you can do towards this goal. Savvy readers will note that these are not novel ideas of my own, and in fact a lot of the things on this list are popular core features in modern languages such as Kotlin, Rust, and Clojure. Kotlin, in particular, has done an amazing job of emphasizing these best practices while still being an... - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Let's write a simple microservice in Clojure
    This article will explain how to write a simple service in Clojure. The sweet spot of making applications in Clojure is that you can expressively use an entire rich Java ecosystem. Less code, less boilerplate: it is possible to achieve more with less. In this example, I use most of the libraries from the Java world; everything else is a thin Clojure wrapper around Java libraries. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • A new F# compiler feature: graph-based type-checking
    I have a tangential question that is related to this cool new feature. Warning: the question I ask comes from a part of my brain that is currently melted due to heavy thinking. Context: I write a fair amount of Clojure, and in Lisps the code itself is a tree. Just like this F# parallel graph type-checker. In Lisps, one would use Macros to perform compile-time computation to accomplish something like this, I think.... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing CMU Common Lisp and Clojure, you can also consider the following products

Steel Bank Common Lisp - Steel Bank Common Lisp (SBCL) is a high performance Common Lisp compiler.

Elixir - Dynamic, functional language designed for building scalable and maintainable applications

CLISP - CLISP is a portable ANSI Common Lisp implementation and development environment by Bruno Haible.

Python - Python is a clear and powerful object-oriented programming language, comparable to Perl, Ruby, Scheme, or Java.

Clozure Common Lisp - Clozure CL (often called CCL for short) is a free Common Lisp implementation with a long history.

Rust - A safe, concurrent, practical language