Although I am your ugly cousin, I still have good genes

I began this morning by downloading the free programming software Pure Data.  If you do not know about Pure Data, it is a derivative of the popular graphical programming software Max/MSP.  I know some are still lost, so I'll try to make an analogy.  Think of your favorite Mac or Windows program like garage band, photoshop, or final cut.  Now imagine opening that same program, but instead of seeing colorful buttons, faders, dials, and panels, that there is just a blank, white window on your screen.  With this blank canvas you could feasibly write a software program that could function the same as garage band, but without the fancy clip art, colors, and apple style.  Most people do not do this with Max/MSP or Pure Data, but instead use these programs for live music performances, video projections, and controlling interactive artworks.

Today, I set out to break my own preconceived notions about Pure Data.  Having used Max/MSP for over five years now, I have become accustomed to its interface, shortcuts, and overall functionality.  I always thought that Pure Data was like the Max's ugly cousin, just a black sheep of the family with the same genes, but with little or no potential compared to the "Ivy League" trained Max environment.  After spending some time looking over Pure Data and going through the tutorials, I can safely say that Pd has all the capabilities of Max and might even be easier to learn.  I was very surprised that the beginning tutorials were very user friendly and that the interface was well explained and laid out.

Of course, I have just scratched the surface of the Pure Data interface, but I would encourage anyone who has been curious to learn Max/MSP to download Pure Data tonight and start perusing the tutorials.  I think that if artists, musicians, and programmers begin developing programs and ideas for Pure Data instead of Max/MSP, then we can have an even more robust and beautiful software that will eventually rival Max in terms of its own beautiful interface and innovative programming objects.  Please share your Pure Data stories and projects in the comment box below this post, I am excited to see what other creative people think about the Pd programming environment.