The Curious Clojureist

Why is Clojure the best new language on the JVM? Come to this session and see why this functional, dynamic Lisp is the best thing on the JVM since Java.

  • Why should you learn Clojure now? It's the coolest new language on the JVM
  • What makes it so cool? It's a dynamically typed, functional Lisp that offers sophisticated capabilities like software transactional memory
  • Why should I learn it? Lisp is the most powerful style of programming language possible (don't believe me? Come see - I'll show you), so you get the best language (Lisp) on the best runtime (JVM)
  • Isn't Lisp the one with all the parenthesis? Yes.
  • What's so compelling about Clojure? It's fast, expressive, powerful, and allows you to do all sorts of things that other languages won't let you do. It's an elegant language.
  • Why is the entire talk done as question and answer? It's an homage to a series of books, *The Little Lisper* and *The Little Schemer*. Because Lisp's are simple and homoiconic, this style works nicely for them. Besides, it's better than 1000 bullets, isn't it?

About Neal Ford

Neal Ford

Neal is Software Architect and Meme Wrangler at ThoughtWorks, a global IT consultancy with an exclusive focus on end-to-end software development and delivery.

Before joining ThoughtWorks, Neal was the Chief Technology Officer at The DSW Group, Ltd., a nationally recognized training and development firm. Neal has a degree in Computer Science from Georgia State University specializing in languages and compilers and a minor in mathematics specializing in statistical analysis.

He is also the designer and developer of applications, instructional materials, magazine articles, video presentations, and author of 6 books, including the most recent The Productive Programmer. His language proficiencies include Java, C#/.NET, Ruby, Groovy, functional languages, Scheme, Object Pascal, C++, and C. His primary consulting focus is the design and construction of large-scale enterprise applications. Neal has taught on-site classes nationally and internationally to all phases of the military and to many Fortune 500 companies. He is also an internationally acclaimed speaker, having spoken at over 100 developer conferences worldwide, delivering more than 600 talks. If you have an insatiable curiosity about Neal, visit his web site at http://www.nealford.com. He welcomes feedback and can be reached at nford@thoughtworks.com.

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