Processing is an open source project initiated by C.E.B Reas and Benjamin Fry, formerly of the Aesthetics and Computation Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is “a programming language and integrated development environment (IDE) built for the electronic arts and visual design communities”, which aims to teach the basics of computer programming in a visual context, and to serve as the foundation for electronic sketchbooks. One of the stated aims of Processing is to act as a tool to get non-programmers started with programming, through the instant gratification of visual feedback. It is a language that builds on the graphical side of the Java programming language, simplifying features and creating a few new ones.[1]

Robert

Robert Hodgin

Co-founder, ECD : San Francisco

topics: Barbarian History, Design, Art Direction, Processing, and Barbarian Labs

began experimenting with Processing nearly at the beginning, what with MIT being across the river from us and all. Okay, maybe not the very beginning. Details are fuzzy in my brain cuz I was doing other things. Maybe by 2003 robert was goin’ for it, though. What was it that motivated him to make the switch from Flash? If I remember at the time, I think the directness of the syntax appealed to him. Robert had clear ideas in his head a firm grasp of math, but most languages weren’t optimized toward the visual realm. They were optimized for making software, and I think that made a big difference for him. But then again, let’s let him chime in himself! Rick

Rick Webb

Co-founder, COO : Boston

topics: The Networks and the Internet, Social Networking and Community, Installations, Barbarian Style Guide, and Internet Video

’s not fooling anyone by trying to pretend he was paying enough attention to these things in that year.

Says Robert

Robert Hodgin

Co-founder, ECD : San Francisco

topics: Visualizers, Art Direction, Barbarian History, Processing, and Barbarian Labs

:

One afternoon in June of 2006, I threw my hands in the air and said no more. No more Flash banner ads. No more Flash mini sites. No more Flash video players. Enough already! Now what?

After talking it over with my business partners at The Barbarian Group, it was settled. I dont have to do any more Flash work if I don’t want to, but I would have to do something. Processing. Thats what I will do. Never mind the fact that no client had asked us to create something using this lesser known beta application. All we have to do is create interesting work that we are passionate about and before long, word will get out.

¹ Processing (programming language) Wikipedia entry), Friday, April 4, 2008