Are we really gonna need the JVM running the backend for this? That seems so unnecessary.
you could probably just precompile your extension
afaict, precompiled java still requires the jvm.
Given the initial goal was for a Clojure editor (which runs on the JVM), running the JVM was a prerequisite anyway.
I'm pretty sure the core of it is to be written in Clojure, so yes, you'll need the JVM running. It is necessary if it is to be written in a JVM language. Eclipse and a number of other IDEs also require a JVM to be running.