← Back to all sparks
P

Processing

EDTECH
Velocity0.0

Flexible software sketchbook for learning to code

Processing adds a release-candidate step before shipping 4.5.7's Linux and WebGPU fixes.

creative-codingwgpurelease-processgradle-migrationopen-source
◆Current state
Processing restarted its release train in June with 4.5.4 and has shipped steadily since. 4.5.6 in July merged the wgpu renderer branch and moved the build to Gradle 9. 4.5.7 in September went through two release candidates first, a step none of the earlier releases in this feed had, and fixed an InaccessibleObjectException at Linux startup, limited the --disable-awt flag to the WebGPU renderer, and set up Maven publishing for app/utils.
◆Where it's heading
The project is putting process around its releases (CI permission checks, a candidate stage before full release) while the WebGPU renderer settles in. Fixes in 4.5.7 that target the WebGPU path show the new renderer is now getting real-world use.
◆Prediction
Expect further 4.5.x releases through the same candidate process, with WebGPU renderer fixes as the main content.

◆Recent moves

  1. 1mo ago

    Processing 4.5.7 fixes Linux startup and WebGPU launch flags

    The first Processing release in this feed to pass through release candidates, carrying a Linux startup crash fix and a correction so --disable-awt applies only to the WebGPU renderer. Small changes, but they show the wgpu work from 4.5.6 now meeting users.

    View source ↗
  2. 1mo ago

    4.5.7 RC1 adds a CI permissions check

    A second candidate adding only a CI permissions check, three days after the first. Process work before the 4.5.7 final.

    View source ↗
  3. 1mo ago

    Processing 4.5.7 release candidate

    A release candidate introduced alongside a PR that sets up a candidate step before full releases. Its contents match the eventual 4.5.7.

    View source ↗
  4. 3mo ago

    wgpu renderer branch lands in main, Gradle 9.1 upgrade

    ⚡ SPARK

    The release that closes the plumbing chapter and opens the renderer one: Gradle moves to 9.x and the year-old `the-wgpu-moment` branch is merged into main. The maintainers are careful to say it is not yet made to be explored, which puts Processing at the start of a graphics-stack transition rather than the end.

    View source ↗
  5. 4mo ago

    macOS hotfix: codesign entitlements restored

    A next-day hotfix for a macOS build signed without the JIT entitlement, which left the shipped app unable to run compiled code. It is exactly the class of failure the reworked release workflow in 4.5.4 was built to contain.

    View source ↗
  6. 4mo ago

    Releases restart; workflow survives failed notarization

    The release that restarted a stalled train, though the more durable change is the workflow behind it: a failed macOS notarization no longer forces a version bump, and Maven and Gradle publish only once every platform build succeeds. That reliability work is what makes the cadence in the releases above possible.

    View source ↗