HACKER Q&A
📣 capableweb

What Lisp-like language fits my needs?


Hello HN!

I'm trying to find a lisp programming language that fits my specific needs but not getting super close. What I'm building is a desktop GUI that is supposed to run cross-platform. I'm currently using Clojure but want to end up with binaries I can distribute, instead of JAR files, and GraalVM is too immature to handle GUI applications in Java currently, so seems I cannot use Clojure.

My needs:

- Lisp

- Mostly immutable data structures

- Compiles down to a binary that can be distributed to linux, macOS and Windows

- Has support (either core or libraries) for building GUI's and hopefully contains some sort of webview component

- Has a good story for supporting REPL driven development

So far, I've been trying to find Clojure like languages. Some of them that I've tried but been lacking in one way or another: clojerl, joker, ferret, common lisp, racket

I think what came the closest was Racket, but wanted to ask around as see if there is something that would be better to use.


  👤 gok Accepted Answer ✓
Have you considered just bundling a JVM at distribution time? This is how apps like IntelliJ work.

👤 swlkr
You could try janet

👤 iLemming
Have you seen Fennel?