Designing L5: A Permacomputing Approach to Creative Coding

2026-06-18 · Source: cs.SE updates on arXiv.org · Field: Technology & Digital — Software Development & Engineering, Emerging Technologies & Innovation, Gaming & Interactive Media · Depth: Advanced, quick

Summary

L5 is a new creative coding library, implemented in Lua using the LOVE framework, joining the Processing/p5 family. Submitted on June 16, 2026, and presented at LIMITS 26, this 10-page paper by Lee Tusman and Kit Kuksenok introduces L5 as an application of permacomputing principles to creative coding, a community not traditionally focused on sustainability. The authors explore L5's design decisions and the inherent tensions between sustainability and usability through five case studies. These include balancing perceived simplicity with exposing underlying mechanisms, designing for reduced resource consumption, ensuring long-term stability, intentionally constraining functionality, and creating documentation accessible in resource-limited environments. The work emphasizes that sustainable creative tools necessitate transparently navigating competing values rather than optimizing for a single metric.

Key takeaway

For creative technologists developing new tools, consider integrating permacomputing principles from the outset. Your design choices should transparently balance usability with sustainability, focusing on lower resource consumption and long-term stability. Intentionally constraining functionality and ensuring documentation is accessible in resource-limited environments will create more resilient and environmentally conscious software. This approach shifts focus from pure feature optimization to holistic, sustainable tool development.

Key insights

Sustainable creative coding tools require transparently balancing competing values like usability and resource efficiency.

Principles

• Permacomputing principles guide sustainable software design.
• Sustainable tools balance simplicity with exposing system "seams".
• Long-term stability and constrained functionality are key.

Method

L5's design process navigates sustainability-usability tensions via five case studies: balancing simplicity, reducing resource use, ensuring stability, constraining functionality, and accessible documentation.

In practice

• Design for lower resource consumption.
• Prioritize long-term software stability.
• Constrain functionality for efficiency.

Topics

• Permacomputing
• Creative Coding
• Software Sustainability
• Resource Efficiency
• L5 Library Design
• Human-Computer Interaction

Best for: Creative Technologist, Software Engineer, Research Scientist

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by cs.SE updates on arXiv.org.