b5

Description

How will the next generation learn creative coding? Do they have to look up hundreds of pages of documentation and take classes? Do they have to write redundant code for features already well accomplished due to lack of information? Do they have to learn English? b5 rethinks the future of creative coding in terms of clarity, accessibility, and customizability in a world that increasingly emphasizes remote collaboration, internationalization, and personalized learning. b5 is a web-based visual programming language for learning and fast prototyping for people with minimal to no programming experience, leveraging novel features compared to other visual programming languages, including (1) position-based sequential execution (blocks are executed in order based on their positions in the code canvas), (2) customized blocks (users can use the predefined blocks and the graphical interface to design and construct new blocks), and (3) effect blocks (block that affects other code blocks based on their contextual relationship instead of wire connection). b5 makes programming easy to learn and encourages programmers to explore and try, while more analysis is needed to assess its usability and long-term effects when used as the learning platform for beginners.