Paper Programs – Run JavaScript on pieces of paper
Run Javascript programs on pieces of paper, using a projector and camera. Physically hold programs in your hand, and see them come to life, as if by magic.
Paper Programs – Run JavaScript on pieces of paper launched on January 23, 2018 with 235 votes, #105 of 3,021 launches that month and more than 95% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 8 years on.
In plain words
Paper Programs is a tool that executes JavaScript code written on physical pieces of paper using a projector and camera setup. Users hold printed programs and watch them execute in real time, with visual output projected onto the paper itself. The project was created by JP, drawing inspiration from interactive design and programming education concepts, and is designed for anyone interested in exploring unconventional ways to interact with and visualize code execution.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
Who created Paper Programs? And why? Hi, I’m JP . There are lots of reasons I could list for building Paper Programs, such as having worked on interactive tools for many years, a background in programming education, and having experimented with different representations of program execution. But the truth is, I was just unreasonably excited after trying Dynamicland for the first time, and wanted to explore their interaction model more. Much thanks to everyone who helped testing Paper Programs. Special thanks to Omar Rizwan for sort-of instigating this project, and offering tons of ideas and feedback. How is Paper Programs related to Dynamicland ? Paper Programs recreates just a tiny part of…from paperprograms.org
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