I recently just ported my sketch into using the Eclipse IDE and it is wonderful because my code base grew much larger, but I would have never picked up Processing if it didn't have the simple Processing IDE and the reduced (nearly identical java like) Java PDE syntax.

Processing does what it does very well, draw things, visualize data, get inputs from many types of sources for "processing". powerful enough for both the beginner and the Java expert.

I like the availabilty of choice. I like the extensibility via libraries and being able to write my own java classes.  I ran into the problem of not being able to create non-final static variables in subclasses using the non-java mode (automatically sub-classed classes in PApplet), but because the ease of extendability to use the full Java syntax, I refactored the class out into stand-alone Java class.  Problem solved.  

I also like the automatic applet export along with the source code.  It makes it very easy to find code examples via google since most people do not bother to take the sourcecode out.

Recently I was reading about PHP vs Java for web applications (http://developers.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/21/1240258&tid=156) and many argue that PHP are for beginners along with the ease of entry, but for PHP it's hard to maintain good clean  code; on the other hand Java is much cleaner, but too bloated and too hard to pickup, along with struts, hibernate, J2EE, JSP.  The Processing programming model bridges the gap very nicely by having the availability of the right tools along the way as the programmer grows in experience.

Here are a few very useful threads that should be pinned:
Toxi's eclipse IDE tutorial:
http://processing.org/discourse/yabb_beta/YaBB.cgi?board=Integrate;action=display;num=1117133941

getting OPENGL Mode working under Eclipse:
http://processing.org/discourse/yabb_beta/YaBB.cgi?board=Integrate;action=display;num=1114400513

OOP Woes (static variables in classes):
http://processing.org/discourse/yabb_beta/YaBB.cgi?board=Syntax;action=display;num=1118271476

MyGUI by John Beech (a nice GUI class that's not yet visible on the library page):
http://processing.org/discourse/yabb_beta/YaBB.cgi?board=os_libraries_tools;action=display;num=1118349641


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