October 16, 2007
Rich Hickey releases Clojure
Rich Hickey publicly released Clojure on October 16, 2007 — a Lisp on the JVMJava Virtual Machine — executes Java bytecode and hosts Kotlin, Scala, Clojure, and other JVM languages. with immutable data and software transactional memory.
What it was for
Clojure brought functional programmingA style emphasizing functions and immutable data over step-by-step state changes — influences Haskell, Lisp, and modern languages. to JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. shops without giving up the JVMJava Virtual Machine — executes Java bytecode and hosts Kotlin, Scala, Clojure, and other JVM languages. ecosystem. Hickey's 'Simple Made Easy' talks influenced how developers think about state, complexity, and design.
People
- Rich Hickey — creator
Companies
- Sun Microsystems
Why it's here
Clojure proved Lisp could thrive on the JVMJava Virtual Machine — executes Java bytecode and hosts Kotlin, Scala, Clojure, and other JVM languages. for production services.
Why it mattered
Immutable data and STM offered a distinct concurrency model from mainstream OOPObject-oriented programming — organizing code around objects that combine data and behavior..
What it solved
JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. developers wanted functional tools without leaving existing libraries and deployment.
Media
ImageRich HickeyTapestry Dude, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons