On Jun 29, 8:17 pm, Michael Richter <ttmrich...@gmail.com> wrote: > A good salesman also doesn't come across as smugly self-satisfied and > projecting a sense of superiority.
I did a moderate amount of CL hacking in 2003-4 and I've been dipping my toes back in lately with Clojure but I hardly count as a "lisp weenie". I say Lisp and FP are hard not because I have mastered them but because I am still learning and *I* have found them hard. From what I've observed in other programmers I'm far from alone in this. Honestly I think it's noobs like me that are going to make the most difference in the near-term success of Clojure. We're the experienced Python and Java and Ruby programmers in Chas' survey that are looking for a better way to solve the problems we face in our work. We recognize that languages like Clojure might be the answer, but also that they require a new, different, and initially painful way of thinking. We're motivated enough to get over hurdles like classpaths, java installs, IDEs etc. and those of us that do have the determination and ability to stick with it will be the ones that build the killer app that puts Clojure in the spotlight. The reality is that a lot of us are going to fall by the wayside. I was comfortable in Ruby after a few weekends. I still struggle with FP & Lisp after 10 years of study. If you're one of those people to whom s-expr syntax, recursion, immutability etc seem simple & natural and logical congratulate yourself but also show some humility. You're the exception, not the norm. So, what do noobs like me need from Clojure? Honestly not much. The tools are there to get real work done and because of Clojure I'm more optimistic about Lisp than I've ever been. More extensive documentation, a single blessed build tool, some tutorials on protocols etc would all be welcome but the lack of these things isn't stopping anybody that wouldn't have been stopped anyway. -- 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
