Processing vs Protovis

Struggling to choose between Processing and Protovis? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Processing is a Development solution with tags like visual-programming, creative-coding, graphics, animation.

It boasts features such as Graphical programming language and IDE, Built on Java and can integrate Java code, 2D and 3D graphics rendering, Image/video processing and analysis, Sound synthesis and analysis, Data visualization and pros including Easy to learn for non-programmers, Large community support, Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux), Free and open source.

On the other hand, Protovis is a Development product tagged with javascript, data-visualization, graphics, charts.

Its standout features include Declarative language for creating custom visualizations, Built on top of SVG, Canvas and HTML for rendering, Animations and transitions for interactive graphics, Supports common charts like bar, pie, scatter, maps etc, Data binding for dynamically updating charts, Scales and axes for quantitative data, Supports canvas rendering for improved performance, and it shines with pros like Easy to learn and use, Very flexible for creating custom, interactive visualizations, Good performance even with large datasets, Integrates well with other Javascript libraries like D3.js.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Processing

Processing

Processing is an open-source graphical library and integrated development environment built for the electronic arts, new media art, and visual design communities with the purpose of teaching non-programmers the fundamentals of computer programming in a visual context.

Categories:
Development Programming Languages & Development Tools
visual-programming creative-coding graphics animation

Processing Features

  1. Graphical programming language and IDE
  2. Built on Java and can integrate Java code
  3. 2D and 3D graphics rendering
  4. Image/video processing and analysis
  5. Sound synthesis and analysis
  6. Data visualization

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Easy to learn for non-programmers

Large community support

Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Free and open source

Cons

Limited to Java ecosystem

Not suitable for large applications

Steep learning curve for advanced features

Protovis

Protovis

Protovis is a Javascript visualization library that allows you to easily create interactive data visualizations for the web. It provides a declarative language for mapping data to graphical elements like bars, pies, lines, etc.

Categories:
Development Data Visualization
javascript data-visualization graphics charts

Protovis Features

  1. Declarative language for creating custom visualizations
  2. Built on top of SVG, Canvas and HTML for rendering
  3. Animations and transitions for interactive graphics
  4. Supports common charts like bar, pie, scatter, maps etc
  5. Data binding for dynamically updating charts
  6. Scales and axes for quantitative data
  7. Supports canvas rendering for improved performance

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Easy to learn and use

Very flexible for creating custom, interactive visualizations

Good performance even with large datasets

Integrates well with other Javascript libraries like D3.js

Cons

Limited documentation and examples

No longer actively maintained

Less support and community compared to newer libraries