Fair point about slow start-up times, obviously a function of the JVM. This technology is a two-edge sword: we get lots of great libraries but also all the complexity of the platform.
Agree that persistent data structures are not the end-all: they fit nicely with data processing and analysis, which is what I have done with Clojure.
Jank is coming (Clojure on top of C++). There is also ClojureScript, so you get the ability to program the whole stack.
I also have some nits: I much prefer #guile fibers to Clojure's channels: fiber provides fantastic composition to create really nice abstractions.
My greatest obstacle, though, is that Clojure feels very corporate. This is clearly an opinion, not a fact.
