The Digital Press

Jeaye Wilkerson is developing jank, a new programming language that combines Clojure's functional features with native code compatibility, aimed at gaming and general use. He recently left his job to work on it full-time, tackling challenges like creating a mini virtual machine and enabling deep C++ interop.

Why it matters: jank aims to bring Clojure’s dynamic, functional style to native environments with performance and interoperability benefits.

The big picture: The project addresses the gap between JVM-based Clojure and native programming, offering a fresh approach to language design and tooling.

The stakes: Success depends on building a strong community, achieving stability, and proving value to secure funding and wider adoption.

Commenters say: Many appreciate the ambitious technical goals but caution jank isn’t a systems language like C++, questioning some claims about its use cases.