Pencil Code logo

Pencil Code

by The Pencil Code Foundation
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ActiveFree tier
Quick facts
VendorThe Pencil Code Foundation
Year launchedN/A
StatusActive
LocationN/A
Countries servedN/A
Languages1
IntegrationsN/A
Free tierYES
Free trialNO
Contact salesNO

About Pencil Code

Pencil Code is a collaborative programming site for drawing art, playing music, and creating games.

Pencil Code is an open-source, collaborative programming environment designed for education. It allows users, particularly students, to learn professional programming languages like CoffeeScript, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS in a creative context. The platform is built for making art, music, and games. A key feature is its dual-mode editor that supports both block-based and text-based programming, helping beginners transition to text code. All projects are public, fostering a community of learning and sharing. The platform is entirely free to use and is managed by The Pencil Code Foundation, a non-profit. It is a web-based tool with no specific OS installers. Support is available through a discussion forum and email.

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Free and open-source, making it highly accessible for educational purposes.
  • Dual block and text editor helps bridge the gap for beginners learning to code.
  • Supports real-world programming languages like JavaScript and CoffeeScript.
  • Focuses on creative output like art, music, and games to engage students.
  • All projects are public, creating a large library of examples to learn from.
Cons
  • Data is public and not secured from loss; not suitable for private or sensitive information.
  • No formal pricing or support tiers, as it is a non-profit, community-driven project.
  • Primarily educational and not intended for commercial software development.

Features

Key features

Collaborative Programming

Allows users to work together on projects in real-time.

Block and Text Editor

Features the Droplet editor, which supports both block-based and text-based coding to ease the transition for beginners.

Multi-Language Support

Supports professional languages including CoffeeScript, Javascript, HTML, and CSS.

Creative Coding

Focused on creating visual art, music, and games through code.

Open Source

The entire platform is open source, encouraging community contributions and transparency.

Additional features

Turtle Graphics

Preloads a library with turtle graphics functions for drawing.

Mathematical Experimentation

Provides a space to experiment with functions, geometry, and graphing.

Simulations and Algorithms

Can be used to create and test simulations and algorithms.

Public Project Sharing

All programs are open for others to view, copy, and learn from.

Educational Resources

Offers a teacher's manual, tutorials, and an illustrated book with projects.

Pricing

Free trial
Free version
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Countries & Languages

Countries served
1
Interface languages
Billing currencies

Interface languages

English

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