Hi! I heard the processing editor is not gonna any updates from the processing foundation.
I also have a few questions regarding processing in general.
Is processing as a language still getting updated, or is the foundation putting the money in a new editor / project? From what i heard Ben Fry left the project because of that…
Is there an official processing android app or is APDE the one?
-Libby
That’s a good question and I think this forum deserves an answer.
I asked for a statement in the last discussion regarding the topic and the discussion has been closed.
Now it’s coming up again.
Not a surprise.
I mean they should spend the money on the language, to make it more consistent, efficient etc. It would make all of us happy!
-Libby
hello. ive been away from processing for years for reasons i wont bore you with. returning today to discover this hullabaloo. i think from what ive read that processing still has a future, but… does it?
I first joined the Processing forum in December 2008 and since then I have visited the forum nearly everyday to answer members’ questions where I could. I have been through 3-4 forum changes, used every version of Processing since 1.2.1. and created 10-11 libraries and tools for others to enjoy. I did all this because I recognized the value of the Processing software in introducing absolute beginners to the joy and creativity of programming. After reading Ben Fry’s comments I had serious concerns over the future of Processing and still do.
It would be interesting to hear other members’ thoughts on the future of the Processing software (in all its forms including p5.js) and how they would like to see it develop.
I do not want to discuss the Processing Foundations ideology because it runs the risk of becoming contentious leading to personal attacks and ill-considered comments, so please think before posting.
I also think this is an opportunity for the Processing Foundation to tell us their vision for Processing and how they plan to maintain and develop the Processing software in the future. @sableRaph
I’ve only had supportive and constructive interactions with members of the Processing Foundation. When they officially respond to Ben Fry’s comments, I’m sure it will be thoughtful.
Processing and Arduino were the first coding environments that fit my brain. They were fun to work in and made me feel like I could create anything. When I started teaching with them, my students felt the same way. I wandered into Processing Community Day at UCLA in 2019 to find inspiration. I drew connections between land art and the internet, hacked a toy server, cast spells with code, and even gave a lightning talk despite my social anxiety. Dorothy Santos invited me to volunteer, and it felt like the cool kids had welcomed me into their club.
I remember watching the discussion between Ben Fry, Lauren McCarthy, Casey Reas, and Dan Shiffman. It moved me to see people who inspire me so much surrounded by the community they cultivated. Cut to the present tense and it feels like watching my favorite band break up.
Processing and p5.js are fundamental to the ways I learn, create, and teach. The community and the software both need investment. Balance is a matter of perspective.
I’d love to see estimates for the effort required to resolve all open issues in Processing and p5.js. That includes their cores, core libraries (i.e., sound), and editors. The platforms are stable, so what investments are needed to sustain them as of today? What’s the ideal scenario on mobile? AR/VR?
I’d also love to see a new Python strategy. Python is the most popular programming language in the world, especially among beginners. One should generally meet the world where it is.
Jython is progressing very slowly and its limitations are well known. py5 is already great and could grow in interesting directions. For one data point, the Raspberry Pi Foundation mimics py5 in the browser. They used a shim I wrote years ago to make p5.js work with Skulpt. That feels a lot like the current Jython situation. PyScript looks promising here.
It’d be neat to write a sketch in Python that moves seamlessly between web and native based on the coder’s needs.
Hi, thank you all for your amazing comments! I read through all of them and thanks for sharing them!
-Libby
I am not gonna mark a solution to this thread because this is an ongoing event, i learned!
Some PyScript examples using p5*js and/or Pjs:
https://GoSubRoutine.GitHub.io/self-avoiding-walk-ii-pyscript
Hi @mcintyre , this is Jim, the py5 project maintainer. Thank you for your encouraging words about Python and py5.
py5 is Python library that leverages the Processing core.jar file to provide drawing functionality while also providing an authentic Python experience for users. Since I believe that learning Python is about gaining experience with the Python library ecosystem in addition to learning Python syntax, py5 has many integrations with well-known Python libraries such as numpy, Pillow, and matplotlib. We are working on a release right now to add shapely and trimesh to that list. Also, a new color mode in addition to RGB and HSB. Stay tuned!
Since py5 uses Processing’s core.jar file, it is dependent on the Processing project. I am willing to help out and contribute to the continued development of Processing. I believe there are others that are also willing to help out and contribute, and am confident that Processing and py5 will continue to inspire and be a part of the creative coding community for years to come.
Sure thing @hx2A. I’d also like to offer a belated thanks for py5.
My sketch for a recent grant project hit a wall with performance using p5.mapper on an 8GB Raspberry Pi 4. I rewrote the sketch in Processing using Keystone and it worked! The next challenge was syncing participants’ paintings across four distant Pi’s + projectors. Firebase makes this easy and its Python SDK is very nice to use. I wrote the next iteration of the sketch using py5 and everything worked beautifully.
To your point about ecosystems, having access to Processing and Python libraries feels like magic sometimes.
Interesting project, @mcintyre ! When you wrote the last iteration of the project, you were using py5 + the Processing library Keystone? That might have been a good opportunity use py5’s Processing mode. That’s a super awesome feature and I’d like to find a way to get more folks experimenting with it.
Yes, indeed! It’s a great combination.
Thanks, and yep! I actually used py5’s Hybrid Programming: just dropped the Keystone jar in the jars folder and wrote the sketch entirely in Python.
Processing Mode looks great. I have a little exhibition coming up in November and will give Processing Mode a try for one of the pieces. It’ll be my first attempt at turning Animated Drawings into an installation.
Awesome, please keep me in the loop, and let me know if you have any problems or questions!