Macros, clojure vs common lisp

Question

A few of my friends and I are working on a new platform and we want to build it in lisp. The main attraction are macros. We all use Common Lisp but I want to explore the option

Answer 1

I was a lisp programmer on lisp machines in the 80's. In terms of productivity, I still have to see a comparable development environment. That said, clojure macro system is powerful enough to have been already abused. Macros help when you have to implement a "compiler" of a new language and you should be able to describe it in a formal notation. Not because is absolutely need by you. It's needed by the users of the new language itself. So, it should be a very useful formal language to be deserved a compiler and a formal notation. If this is not the case, stay away from macros and use pure functional programming style to make your abstractions. You'll feel again the joy of coding sequentially with your analog though, instead of being closer to dumb sequences of bits. And the users of your code will be happier too. I hope clojure macro abuse is not going to be the next accidental complexity. An old lisper and clojure's newbie.