On 28 June 2010 19:49, Mike Meyer <mwm-keyword-googlegroups.620...@mired.org> wrote: >> Yet another set of choices n00bs are faced with is figuring out how >> to actually compile their source into an executable. > > Executable? We're talking about Java here. It doesn't do executables - > it does jar files. There's little reason to build those as a newb, as > it's not noticeably harder to run the source than it is to run a jar > file - or to import them if you're building libraries.
We're not talking about Java here, we're talking about clojure! A certain proportion of new clojure users are coming from non-Java/non-JVM backgrounds. To them, "how do I make an executable" is a perfectly valid question. And "clojure doesn't do executables" isn't a particularly encouraging answer (not even if you blame Java for it :-)) Classpaths, server vs client JVMs, ant/maven, all of these are confusing hurdles to get over if you don't have any Java experience. For such people, introductory clojure material needs to (a) assume no JVM/Java knowledge, and (b) provide some guidance for how to interpret the inevitable Java terminology that a newcomer will encounter. For example: Q: How do I make an executable in clojure? A: Clojure scripts can be executed in a similar manner to scripting languages like Python or Perl - clj myscript.clj. [Note: a standard clj wrapper script should be supplied with clojure!] However, even when executed like this, clojure code is compiled (for more details read up on JVM bytecode, and the Java "just in time" compilers). You can compile clojure code into a "jar" file - which is a JVM executable format which can be run using the "java" command (insert reference to more detailed explanation here). More or less self-contained formats (bundling dependencies, or hiding the invocation of the "java" command) are possible, but are generally reserved for more specialised applications. Q: What are ant, maven? A: JVM build systems, commonly used in the Java world. The clojure community is beginning to standardise on Leiningen (insert reference here) which uses a more clojure-like language for describing builds, but which works with the existing ant/maven infrastructure (so all of the existing libraries available via these tools are available for free in Leiningen). If these examples are useful, feel free to add them to a FAQ or newbie documentation. Paul. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Clojure" group. To post to this group, send email to clojure@googlegroups.com Note that posts from new members are moderated - please be patient with your first post. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to clojure+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/clojure?hl=en
