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Game delivery in a webpage typically requires some sort of browser plug-in. However due to security concerns and general wariness about plug-ins, delivering content/games that require a plugin may be a barrier to access for some users. Furthermore there are some platforms where a plug-in does not exist or cannot exist(be installed?), such as in the mobile environment. Even Flash, which is one of the most ubiquitous visual interactive environments, is not available on every platform. The only real solution to web delivery of rich graphics in an interactive environment(?)/webpage is to be integrated into native browser technology.
The Processing language introduced by Ben Fry and Casey Reas is a simple and elegant language for data visualization that is already used by artists, educators as well as commercial media to deliver rich graphical content called sketches. There is a large body of work around the world which is being developed using Processing. However, Processing was developed in Java and thus delivering Processing sketches on a webpage required that the user install a Java plugin. Furthermore the sketches themselves are self contained items as opposed to being part of a web page. That is, the elements of the Document Object Model (DOM) of a webpage can not interact with it or vice versa. Thus, while it is possible to deliver visual content it would be difficult to create Processing sketches to take full advantage of modern web services such as flickr, twitter etc.
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The HTML <canvas> element allows the programmatic delivery of graphics in a web page without plugins. With its inclusion in the soon to be released IE 9, the <canvas> element now represents a means to deliver graphical content in all the major browsers. The typical way to interact with the canvas is to use JavaScript. However for artists, educators, and other people less familiar with JavaScript, learning to do this can be a barrier to entry.
Processing.js is an open source, cross browser JavaScript port of the Processing language. It uses the canvas element for rendering and does not require any plug-ins. However, Processing.js is more than just a Processing parser written in JavaScript. It also enables the embedding of other web technologies into Processing sketches. This extension will allow for a new set of visualizations previously not possible. Processing.js seamlessly integrates web technologies with the processing language to provide an accessible framework for multimedia web applications.
