

Clojure is not a Lisp [2009] - willismichael
http://jng.imagine27.com/index.php/2009-08-19-011225_clojure_the_false_lisp.html

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kingoftheintern
I still don't understand why Clojure isn't a Lisp. Because it's built on the
JVM? Because it encourages using immutable data structures? Because it's
becoming popular? Someone point out the key paragraph I missed connecting
"Clojure is imperfect and hyped" to "Clojure is not a Lisp".

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pavelludiq
I haven't read the article, but when I say, in a certain context, that I don't
consider clojure a Lisp, what I might mean is that clojure is not descendant
from the original McCarty lisp. You can trace Common Lisps or Emacs Lisps
roots from MACLISP back to that. In such a context where the definition of
"lisp" is sufficiently narrow, I might call languages like clojure and scheme
"lisp like languages", or "distant dialects".

It isn't any different from saying Linux is not Unix, but the various BSDs
are. It doesn't really matter at all, and when used in the wrong context, such
phrases can be confusing.

