I am considering building a website using ClojureScript. Does it make sense to write ClojureScript on both the client side and the serverside, much like node.js?
2 Answers
It's possible, but there's absolutely no reason not to use Clojure itself on the server side, and you'll get better performance and much better library availability. Interfacing Clojurescript/Clojurescript is no easier than Clojure/Clojurescript.
The only situation where I'd recommend this is where you're already fully committed to a server-side javascript infrastructure (e.g, node) and wanted to write Clojurescript instead of Javascript.
@A reply to Levand: (Not a real answer and I am just a plain human being who is mainly a php programmer). So. I really really (if you can) urge levand to futher develop his answer. Just don't get it, thats all. I am a big fan of some lisp features (especially a rather unusual macro syntax in scheme). Therefore I would like him (if he knows it), or anybody else for that matter to tell me. Whats so bad about it. I don't see anything bad at all. On the contrary I rather like it (havn't used clojurescript in the browser myself unfortunately). The only bad thing I can think of on the top of my head is.
- Hard to measure performance (since it was buildt for the java engine).
- YAGNI.
- Rather esoteric i.e. the possibuility that someone who takes over the homepage or server might not want to learn it. (So many questions so little answers).
If Gambit-Scheme can be a good tool for a unix scripter then I can't see what the problem is with having some nice Clojurescript Lisp in the brower or server. (As you can see I can hardly call myself a good programmer. F.e. I used Debian full time for 2 months then promised myself that Debian and Ubuntu was not for me, although it hardly was bad or so. Just the feeling that it complicated things that I wanted to be easy). If not so for the fun of learning and experimenting. (Tries to see the problem in a new direction, or so to say, "thinking outside the box"). If Zubair could share his thoughts on the matter of integrating clojurescript in html I would be more than happy. /Bad programmer who was tought scheme in school by another bad programmer and is very happy he learned it. Although it was a rather frustrating experiance. Throws the ball away in the air, hoping that someone can take it up.