7003926eda
RFC 0001 proposes a normative, implementation-independent Clojure language spec (the reader, evaluation model, special forms, data types, seq/laziness contracts, namespaces/vars, and the portable clojure.core surface) to the standard of R7RS/Racket — Clojure has none, and every alternative implementation re-derives semantics from the reference and folklore. The spec is executable-first: every numbered normative statement cites its conformance test or is marked UNVERIFIED. docs/spec/ carries the front matter (conformance terms, entry format, host classification), the special-form catalog with worked normative entries for if and let*, the core-library entry format with worked entries for first, reduce, and parse-uuid, and a generated coverage dashboard over the 694-var ClojureDocs inventory (tools/spec_coverage.py cross-references the surface against jolt's interned+resolvable vars and the test suites). Measured baseline: 380 implemented+tested, 154 implemented-untested, 35 portable-but-missing (filed), 22 resolvable-but-not-interned (filed — seed fns invisible to resolve/ns-publics), rest classified host/JVM/concurrency.
52 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
52 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
# The Clojure Language Specification (Draft)
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A normative, implementation-independent specification of the Clojure
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language, developed alongside jolt's self-hosted compiler and validated by
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its executable conformance suites. **Why**: Clojure has no spec — every
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alternative implementation re-derives semantics from the reference
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implementation and folklore. See the RFC for motivation, scope, evidence
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sources, and process: [`../rfc/0001-language-specification.md`](../rfc/0001-language-specification.md).
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## Documents
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| Doc | Content | Status |
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|---|---|---|
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| [`00-front-matter.md`](00-front-matter.md) | conformance terms, entry format, host classification | drafted |
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| `01-evaluation.md` … `08-macros.md` | see chapter plan in front matter | planned |
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| [`03-special-forms.md`](03-special-forms.md) | special-form catalog + normative exemplars (`if`, `let*`) | exemplars |
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| [`09-core-library.md`](09-core-library.md) | per-var entry format + exemplars (`first`, `reduce`, `parse-uuid`) | exemplars |
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| [`coverage.md`](coverage.md) | generated dashboard over the 694-var surface | generated |
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Regenerate the dashboard after surface changes:
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`python3 tools/spec_coverage.py` (requires `clojuredocs-export.json` in the
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repo root and a working jolt checkout).
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## Current numbers (2026-06-10)
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Of the 694 `clojure.core` vars in the ClojureDocs inventory:
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- **380** implemented in jolt *and* exercised by the behavioral suites
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- **154** implemented but not directly tested — each gets a test with its spec entry
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- **35** portable but missing from jolt (`parse-long`/`parse-double`/
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`parse-boolean`, `update-keys`/`update-vals`, `macroexpand`, `time`,
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`partitionv`/`partitionv-all`/`splitv-at`, `with-redefs`, `with-open`,
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reader fns, ns-introspection stragglers, …) — tracked as implementation gaps
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- **22** resolvable in code but invisible to ns introspection
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(`resolve`/`ns-publics` can't see seed-fallback names like `compare`,
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`gensym`, `type`) — a conformance finding in its own right
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- the rest classified host/JVM/concurrency (see dashboard)
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## How this connects to the test suites
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- `test/integration/conformance-test.janet` — 302 assertions, each run
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through three independent execution paths (interpreter, bootstrap
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compiler, self-hosted compiler) that must agree. Spec entries cite these.
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- `test/spec/*.janet` — ~1,500 behavioral cases organized by topic.
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- `vendor/clojure-test-suite` — the cross-dialect suite (≥4081 assertions
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passing); dialect splits there are classification evidence.
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- jank's per-construct corpus (`~/src/jank/compiler+runtime/test/jank`) is
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the granularity model for §2/§3 conformance.
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The invariant: **every numbered normative statement names its conformance
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test**, or is marked UNVERIFIED. The spec cannot drift from the
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implementations that check it.
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