Who are you? Where are you? What are you doing? Why do you use Processing?

People frequently ask Ben and myself questions like, "Which schools use Processing?" and "What are people doing with Processing?" A few years ago, I felt like I knew where and why the software was being used, but now, because the software has spread more widely, I don't have a complete (or near complete) answer. Please let us and the rest of the community know.

Casey

Sounds like an AA meeting My name is Michael Chang and I use Processing...

I'm a creative director at Protohaus in Shanghai. We make prototypes for applications, data visualization, and host of other visual work, not so much on the hardware side but mostly for screen-space. It's being used to prototype interfaces for mobile devices as well as a good place to mock-up hard to tackle interface problems.

Last year at Yahoo! we used it to make data visualizations, zoomable interfaces, and touch screen interfaces. Years beyond that we used it for motion graphics at Motion Theory.

I would love to teach others how to use Processing in Shanghai to those who are learning here, although I haven't a clue about the venue or audience in Shanghai yet.

I feel that Processing has been a great entry-way into programming in general simply because of its visual nature. So far I've been able to plug back into large C++ engines and successfully hack and build my own games using knowledge I've learned from Processing.

I am Dimitre Lima, I live in São Paulo Brasil. I work with graphic design, internet and motion, and sometimes work in things that still dont' have clearly a purpose.
I started using processing as a Java shortcut in 2002, when I used to play with tinyPTC library (Glenn Fiedler) to splash some colors inside some browsers.

I nowadays mainly use processing (as well as other tools/languages) to try to automate repetitive operations, make permutations and deal with other design problems. Actually working on a type synthesizer.

I love the "work more to work less" or "let the permutation surprise you" feeling of Processing

Robert Hodgin. Barbarian Group and Flight404.

I use Processing for my personal entertainment.  But more and more, I am getting to use it for client work at Barbarian Group.  People are starting to ask for it by name.

My main uses for Processing are in the realm of audio visualization. I have made many videos using only Processing with no post production or editing after the fact.  This is a bragging point only... it would certainly be more effective to render out a bunch of shorter videos and then piece them together in AE or something similar.  But I get great joy out of knowing that I can hit PLAY, walk away for a bit, play some GTA IV, then come back to find a finished piece that has enough randomness built in that when I view it, I feel I am viewing something totally unique and were I to press PLAY again, the next version would be different.

We are also using Processing for building installation pieces or custom applications.  The McLeod Butterflies, McLeod Mirror, NERVO flocking birds for Fox, and Saturn NextFest pieces were all executed using Processing (the butterflies also involved C++, Maya and Python).

So, bottom line, Processing has become pretty much 100% of my work day. Its a good feeling to know that clients are starting to desire it more and more.

I'm a composer, currently a PhD Candidate at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. I use Processing, alongside Max/MSP, for everything I can think of, from playing with algorithms I find on the internet to the automation of things I need done when I return from lunch, such as calculating the correct harmonic relationship for a given harmony cycle...

I also use it to create musical software (midi sequencers, network improvisation interfaces, etc.), mainly commissioned by Casa da Música (Oporto, Portugal).
Last but not the least, I use it to gather data from physical controllers and make visualizations for audio installations, mainly made with Max/MSP.

i'm lenny, student at hyperwerk, basel switzerland.
i got introduced to processing by marius watz.
after years of only drawing by hand, processing became my main tool for work and play. i use it for personal work and for commercial things in different media.
i also teach workshops for programming using processing.
for me the main reason to work with processing is the fact that i can use the same tool to work for print, screen, and physical stuff, from scetching ideas, to interfaces to production.  
i guess basically i'm fascinated because this thing can draw so fast and it never gets tired. i'm very happy with it, thanks to everybody involved in this.

Hi. I'm Jer Thorp. I'm a software artist, educator,  and recovering web designer from Vancouver, Canada.

I use Processing extensively in my art practice to explore generative processes, generally involving biological concepts. I find it a very comfortable environment to work in, and I find it suits most of my needs perfectly.

I also use Processing to introduce designers to programming in a 14 week course that I teach at Langara College. It seems perfectly suited to this task - I can generally get students building their own interactive sketches within an hour or two.

I have been using Processing for quite a long time (2003?) and have enjoyed watching it develop and grow. Thanks!

hi, andreas schlegel here. i have been using processing for quite a while now, in many different areas ranging from academia, research, workshops, creative industries, to education.
originally from germany, i am currently teaching at an art college in singapore, in an undergraduate media arts program. technical courses i teach are a combination of art, design, and technology. processing and arduino are the main environments when it comes to using technology based project made for a screen or the physical space.

my background is in design, i discovered the beauty of using code as a tool and material about 10 years ago. back then macromedia director was my choice of tool, but i was grateful to give up this monster after discovering processing. what i enjoy about processing is its openness. it is open source, it encourages and supports user contributions, and it has a very helpful and friendly community.

i usually use processing from within its IDE, especially when it comes to sketching something quickly. i enjoy opening the processing IDE and start writing sketches, basically translating more or less sudden ideas into code.
when i work on a bigger project, i switch to an IDE like eclipse, while still using processing's core and contributed libraries. no matter if a processing project is of small or big size, the environment is very adaptable and flexible.

besides using processing as a teaching tool, i guess i was lucky to be able to use it in a creative industries environment, too. while working for artcom in berlin, most projects or components of a project were sketched in processing before they were implemented into the actual application. especially when it comes to presenting your ideas - instead of explaining what should happen, one could just run a sketch and have people see what will happen, definitely a bonus.

now that i use processing for teaching, it helps me very much to get students interested and engaged in exploring program based works and outcomes. nevertheless it is still difficult to give students a definite perspective how they could use these skills when they graduate and continue with their professional career. just reducing these skills to programming i guess would be a mistake, for me processing is not just about being a great environment to do programming, but even more important a platform that approaches (new) media on a technical, aesthetical, and conceptual level that will influence our perspectives of how we create and perceive media in an everyday scenario.