Smalltalk VS Clojure

Compare Smalltalk VS Clojure and see what are their differences

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Smalltalk

Smalltalk is an object-oriented programming (OOP) language. It is objects all the way down.

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.

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2022-07-10

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2023-09-19

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

Smalltalk

Website: squeak.org
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Clojure

Website: clojure.org
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Smalltalk features and specs

Pure Object-Oriented Language
Smalltalk is consistently object-oriented. Everything is an object, including primitive operations, which simplifies the mental model for developers.
Interactive Development Environment
Smalltalk offers a rich, dynamic development environment with tools for live code updates and immediate feedback, enhancing productivity and experimentation.
Simple Syntax
The language has a small and easily understandable syntax, which makes it more accessible to beginners and allows developers to focus more on problem-solving.
Dynamic Typing
Smalltalk's dynamic typing allows for flexible coding and polymorphism, making it easy to write generic and reusable code components.
Mature and Influential
As one of the oldest object-oriented languages, Smalltalk has a rich history, influencing many modern languages like Java, Ruby, and Python.

Possible disadvantages of Smalltalk

Performance
Smalltalk can suffer from slower performance due to its high level of abstraction and dynamic typing, which may not be suitable for compute-intensive applications.
Niche Community
The Smalltalk community is relatively small compared to more mainstream languages, which can limit resources, libraries, and support available for developers.
Learning Curve
While the syntax is simple, Smalltalk's unique development environment and paradigms can introduce a learning curve for developers coming from other languages.
Limited Integration
Interfacing Smalltalk with non-Smalltalk systems can be challenging, limiting its use in mixed technology environments without proper bridging mechanisms.
Dynamic Typing Drawbacks
While flexible, dynamic typing can also lead to runtime errors that are not caught at compile time, potentially making debugging more difficult.

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.

Analysis of Clojure

Overall verdict

Clojure is generally considered a good programming language, particularly for certain types of development projects.

Why this product is good

Clojure is a modern, functional programming language that runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). It is known for its simplicity, expressiveness, and powerful abstractions which can enhance developer productivity. Clojure also emphasizes immutability and offers excellent support for concurrent programming, making it suitable for building robust and scalable applications.

Recommended for

Developers looking for a functional language that runs on the JVM.
Projects that require scalable and concurrent applications.
Those interested in data manipulation and transformation, given Clojure's strong sequence and collection processing capabilities.
Developers who appreciate Lisp-like syntax and homoiconicity.

Smalltalk videos

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Clojure videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Smalltalk and Clojure)

Smalltalk

Clojure

Programming Language

33 33%

Programming Language

67% 67

OOP

40 40%

OOP

60% 60

Generic Programming Language

40 40%

Generic Programming Language

60% 60

Development

100 100%

Development

0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Smalltalk and Clojure. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Clojure should be more popular than Smalltalk. It has been mentiond 42 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.

Smalltalk mentions (28)

Old version of offline Scratch that had a secret OS
Also, it's not really an "operating system", nor was it implemented by the ST. It's just part of Squeak (you got the name right), the "engine" Scratch 1.x was made with (which lets you edit the code in the same window it's running in). Source: about 3 years ago
Ask HN: Alternatives to organizing code in files and folders?
Just downloaded https://squeak.org/ to play around with this concept. I wonder if there is already a modern tool/suite for Node/Python inspired by Smalltalk... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
What are some important differences between the popular versions of OOP (e.g. Java, Python) vs. the purist's versions of OOP (e.g. Smalltalk)?
AFAIK the major SmallTalk distributions are https://squeak.org/ and https://pharo.org/. I've heard that Pharo is more complex and "practical", while Squeak is more educational and beginner-friendly. But both stick to their roots with "everything is an object or method", extreme reflection, and integrated runtime/IDE. Source: over 3 years ago
Ask HN: What software stack to select for this boot to code computer?
Your concept looks nice, it reminds me a bit of the Lisperati: https://www.hackster.io/news/the-lisperati1000-is-a-cyberdeck-terminal-dedicated-to-lisp-programming-bb564f2ffcff So, did you consider Lisp or maybe Smalltalk? Plan 9 or Inferno might also be options. Plan 9 comes in different variants, the "classic" one (with a Raspberry Pi port by Richard Miller) or 9front, an Inferno porting tutorial can be found at... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
Squeak Morphic Layers
This repository contains multiple projects closely related to (hardware-accelerated) rendering in Squeak/Smalltalk. Source: over 3 years ago

Clojure mentions (42)

Ease Comes After
One of the most famous talks in computer science is Simple Made Easy by Rich Hickey, The creator of the programming language Clojure. In it, he explains that, "simple" and "easy" are not the same thing. He refers to the word origins of the two words:. - Source: dev.to / 8 days ago
Synchronous Functions in Dart
This series of post will try to explain a complex topic: concurrent and parallel programming, in Dart. I think the only way to deal with that is using the Erlang VM (BEAM), but Clojure and other functional languages are usually doing better job on this part. Unfortunately, to me, most of other languages using OOP don't offer a great abstraction to concurrency and parallelism, but during the last decade, things are... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
Which Lisp? Beginner
Oversimplifying, there are three big variants: Common Lisp, Scheme, Clojure. Each of them has a lot of somewhat similar implementations: * Clojure: A lot of support for immutable data. It runs in the JVM so you will have a lot of the libraries you are use to. Probably the best option for you. https://clojure.org/ * Scheme, in particular Racket: Mostly functional, and in particular Racket has a lot of support to... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
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 / over 1 year 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 / over 1 year ago