Processing is an open source software project written by artists, for the use of other artists. It's an entirely different way of thinking about computers as an artistic media. Processing is a programming language and environment created to teach fundamentals of computer programming within a visual context and to serve as a software sketchbook. Thousands of students, educators, and practitioners across five continents are involved in using the software. The website for the project, http://processing.org, serves as the communication hub and repository for examples, reference, and discourse. While it might not be obvious at first, we strongly believe Processing is a work of art, built as a comment on software culture and to promote software literacy within the arts community. It is not a commercial software venture, but is built in the spirit of community and openness.