I'd maybe consider that perhaps becoming happy with REPL-driven development isn't a universal solution. It's not like I didn't understand the concepts, the tools, or the process. I just didn't find that it made me any more proficient at building software.

Of course that's possible, but the evidence suggests that most people become more productive when using the REPL to experiment while developing large projects.

One issue with trying to adopt the habit midway through a project is having a design that makes it easy to load small portions of the project with test data into the REPL. It's not quite the same as having code that's easy to test.

Do you use an interactive debugger? It's the same principle, but earlier in the lifecycle of development.

I appreciate your earnest approach, but I also feel somewhat patronized. I've been doing this for a while. I used Clojure extensively for years, was productive and found much to like. The REPL wasn't part of it, and I don't miss it. I still use Clojure on occasion.

This response is pretty common: "You probably weren't doing it right. Trust me, this is the way!" While I agree that suspending beliefs/old practices and trying new things is important when using new technology, I'm also pretty confident that I gave Clojure a more than fair shake, and just find that I don't get much out of the technology surrounding the REPL in that environment.

I was more productive in Scala in days than I was after years of using Clojure, and the difference between what I'm saying and your response is that I'm not claiming my experience is universal.

No condescension meant. It's hard to estimate how experienced someone is from a few sentences in the forum. I'm generally careful to make assertions about most and in general rather than all or universally.

None taken personally - I just find it valuable when I read comments against the grain, and had an experience that I know many Clojurists find atypical and wanted to share that my style of work just doesn't lend itself to Clojure as supported today.