I am just starting out with processing and since I have some basic python experience I would like to utilize that to my advantage. However, I am confused as to which platform to use. What’s the difference between Processing.py and py5? I understand one is a processing mode and the other uses processing libraries and an IDE like Jupyter. Which one is better maintained and has better chances of developing in the future? Both seem to have low activity here on the forum, with py5 being the worse. However, I see py5 uses Python +3.8 which gives me hope of better development in the future? Which one is more stable and efficient?
Thanks for your input!
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Processing.py is great (but use it with Processing 3.5.4), but I’m inclined to recommend py5 over Processing.py moving forward. A few reasons –
- py5 uses JPype (over Jython), which means it supports Python 3.8+ (not Python 2.7) and libraries with C-bindings (like NumPy).
- py5 opts for snake_case over camelCase, and there are some other differences – but it’s easy enough to switch between the two if you’re familiar with one of them.
- py5 is far more actively maintained right now (and I’d reckon growing in users), whereas Processing.py hasn’t seen a GitHub commit since January this year.
py5 is a lot newer than Processing.py, and this forum section is named “Proccessing.py”, which would explain why there are more posts on the latter.
There are other Python-Processing tools out there. If you’d like an overview of Processing.py, py5, and the rest, you can watch this 20-min presentation (dtppl_presentation.mp4): https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3532836.3536231#sec-supp
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As an alternative you may try out PyScript + p5.js combo on the browser: 
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