I use Processing whenever I teach an intro to programming workshop or course. It's kind of the perfect language for beginners. First, it eliminates the need to

I use Processing whenever I teach an intro to programming workshop or course. It's kind of the perfect language for beginners. First, it eliminates the need to navigate the programming ecosystem. Rather than having to choose python, Ruby, js, or C on day one, processing lets you get students up and running quickly. No need to install local servers or compilers or interpreters, just install processing. Second, because it makes visual programs easy, it lets students develop an intuition for the effects of their code faster. A negative sign makes itself obvious when you see an object moving in the wrong direction. Finally, it's fun. Students get to make interactive games that keep them interested, rather than yet another Fibonacci sequence calculator. I think this is the most important thing to nail in the early days of a programming education. Build fun things to keep you motivated to learn more. It also has a pretty easy progression into JavaScript, so students have a clear next step if they wish to break into "real" programming languages after their course. All in all I only have good things to say about Processing, as long as it's used in the right educational context. Glad to see it's still doing well.