Scipion is written in python and its plugins too. Python has nowadays gained popularity being one of the most widely used programming language for scientific computing.
We use pypi.org to deploy our plugins and you are in control of your code at any time. If you are struggling to develop a fully functional plugin after reading our documentation, you can always contact us for help.
We are all busy, we know that. That is why we think you should own the whole development cycle of the plugin, at your pace.
Scipion is downloaded 2-3 times a day. You can reach all Scipion users as soon as you publish your plugin. See the download statistics.
Your code, even your binaries, can be regularly tested. Both development and production branches!
We are collecting usage statistics, with user consent, and you will have feedback about the usage of your methods "out of the box".
There is no need to pack your software with a 3rd party software to create another "full-stack software suite" to cover the whole pipeline. We are doing it for you!
Support of common file formats conversions is provided (mrc, vol, hdf, dm4, mrc4bit, tiff, …). Your software can implement just one and let Scipion/Xmipp do the file format conversion.
Scipion provides a uniform GUI. You just need to focus on your protocol implementation and, if desired, create a results viewer. Have a look at the documentation.