Processing 2

One of the first posts in this blog was on Processing. Processing is a programming language with an integrated development environment that is specialized for simplicity– ease of learning and coding– and intended for applications that are primarily graphics-driven.

Processing has seen continued development. Processing 2 is more OpenGL based, and for many applications, that’s a good thing. Also, the resources have expanded with the user base. It’s easier than ever to find demos, high quality videos, and walkthroughs to learn how to use it. It’s not a bad place to start people out for programming, and can be used, for example, to present visual stimuli.

I also use the program to make simple GUIs to interface with Arduino boards, using Firmata (more info).

If you haven’t thought about it in a while, it’s worth downloading the latest version and trying it out again. When I was a little kid, just learning to program, the first thing I coded was a very simple graphics demo. I think it’s a great way to learn, because getting some interesting graphics going is very satisfying. And the syntax is C-like, or Java like, so the skills can transfer.