We made it! Welcome to ClojureVerse 2.0

It’s been almost three years since ClojureVerse first launched. Back then it was just the Chestnut mailing list, but pretty soon I realized that I could just as well open it up to the wider community. The idea was to offer projects an alternative to Google Groups, for those of us who prefer an open-source community effort over a data-mining corporate behemoth.

For a couple of years it was just a small corner of the internet where a handful of enthusiastic Clojure people hung out. Now that 2017 draws to a close I think it’s time to invite the rest of world over to come and hang with us.

It’s been a busy year for the Clojure community! Clojure’s 1.9 release is imminent, ClojureScript’s integration with the npm ecosystem has seen some impressive advancements, and we have more tools and libraries at our disposal than ever before.

There are also ever more community-run conferences and events, and people are finding their way to this modern reimagination of LISP through many different avenues. This community is a big tent, we have old-skool LISPers, converted Java programmers, people coming from other dynlangs like Ruby or Python, and JavaScripters that through ClojureScript are finding a way out of the volatility that so far they had to take for granted.

We’re also seeing different types of diversity, in part thanks to the many ClojureBridge chapters that work hard to make people with all kinds of different backgrounds feel like they can be part of this. I have witnessed first hand how three years of ClojureBridge Berlin workshops has transformed this local community. I hope I can channel some of that friendly, open dynamism that typifies the Berlin community into this online space.

Opening up a new space can be an opportunity for those who didn’t yet actively participate in this community to find their place, and to mingle with and learn from those who have been here for ages. There are already several places on the internet where Clojurians congregate, but this one is ours, and it can be yours too. If you’ve been hesitant in the past to actively participate in Clojure’s online spaces then maybe this is your chance. We have very explicit goals here to be friendly, inclusive, and beginner-friendly. This is a place for people who want to learn and want to share. We also have a Code of Conduct in place, and a team of moderators to help enforce it.

This relaunch is largely symbolic, since this place is already alive and buzzing, but we’ve taken the occasion to do some much needed housekeeping. The site is now served over https, we’ve added OAuth logins so you can conveniently use your existing Twitter, Github, or Google account, and we’ve added a hierarchy of categories inspired by the Elixir Forum.

To further mark this event we’ll be doing a number of AMA sessions (Ask me Anything) in the coming weeks and months with prominent clojurists. You’ll learn all about that in a separate announcement.

All that’s left to do now is get the word out. Please share this post widely. There are still a lot of people we haven’t reached. And invite your friends! A personal invitation is so much more powerful then just another post on a timeline.

And finally: dive in, participate, make this place yours. Ask questions, share experiences, tell us what you think. This is only the starting point. Where this place goes, how it evolves, will depend on the people here. It will depend on you. Let’s make it thrive!

Your humble groundskeeper,

Arne