The Joy of Processing - Comments

[jedishrfu]

jedishrfu submitted a new PF Insights post

The Joy of Processing

Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

 

[Buffu]

Now do this with OpenGL.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Very interesting, thanks Jedi!

 

[jim mcnamara]

I run out of fingers and toes when trying to count the number of languages and interface crud like CICS that I've been required to learn to do a project. This looks to be more platform agnostic than most things I've seen. Is it at all practical for multiplatform deployment? Or do the extension libraries include all kinds of platform/language specific stuff - example: using PCRE versus another RE engine for regular expressions?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

One can still make interesting games with BASIC. Here is a great example in QBASIC

 

[jedishrfu]

I run out of fingers and toes when trying to count the number of languages and interface crud like CICS that I've been required to learn to do a project. This looks to be more platform agnostic than most things I've seen. Is it at all practical for multiplatform deployment? Or do the extension libraries include all kinds of platform/language specific stuff - example: using PCRE versus another RE engine for regular expressions?

In Processing you select the mode and it switches over to the appropriate libraries, examples...

Java mode is there by default with the most library / example support.

Python (actually jython) has less stuff but since its actually jython it too can utilize java libraries pretty seamlessly.

Javascript though is in its own world, there are libraries and examples but not as many as Java. Its big feature is that it can create a web page that you can draw on and add other html/javascript stuff to but you have to know how to do it.

The Processing folks do say you can create a mode for a language but you need to use Eclipse and understand their plugin scheme which I have yet to figure out.

I wanted to add Clojure, Scala and Groovy to the mix but just don't have the time or patience.

The editor isn't as great as some of the popular editors. It doesn't have the . expansion feature like Eclipse of netbeans so you can locate the appropriate method for a given object instance.

 

[jedishrfu]

One can still make interesting games with BASIC. Here is a great example in QBASIC

Where's the example?

 

[Buffu]

Where's the example?

Game in the video, Black Annex ?

 

[jedishrfu]

Game in the video, Black Annex ?

Interesting I saw Greg's post on my iPhone with no video showing and now I see there's a video link when on my PC.

 

[scottdave]

This is interesting. I am going to have to try some of these.

 

[commodorekitty]

Processing is what got me interested in programming, back when I was in the liberal arts. Have you seen http://natureofcode.com/ ? It is a book (the book is on the website, too) that "focuses on the programming strategies and techniques behind computer simulations of natural systems using Processing."

 

[jedishrfu]

I've seen references to the book and some of its code in the examples directories of Processing but never got a chance to peruse it. However, now that you mention the simulations aspect, I will definitely check it out.

I do have the Processing hardcover book titled Processing by Fry and Reas and it's quite interesting too. It moves Processing from being a cute toy to a serious development environment that is deceptively simple.