How to do live concurrent editing?

Question

I am trying to build a rails app that's basically just a text-editor (with some additional features I can't find anywhere else - which is why I'm building it)

One of the core features is live concurrent editing, or real-time collaborative editing (whatever you want to call it).

So far I have set up the site with a plugin called Juggernaut. This gives me the ability to send, either from a client or the server, any Javascript I want to every other client. So when someone types something I can send what that person has typed to every other client, without the other clients having to poll the server.

The problem I have boils down to me not knowing what algorithm to use for solving conflicts and doing this the best way possible. I have read up a bit on Operational Transformation, but just simple don't know how to sensibly implement it with the Javascript/Rails-solution I have now.

I want something like OT, but don't know how to implement it and don't know where to start. Any help on how to implement this would me very happy!

Saltsman

Interesting problem from a usability perspective... – Plosive

Answer 1

Take a look at MobWrite

Pancreas

I had not seen this, as I understand it Bespin is using MobWrite, so I'm definitely gonna take a look at this! – Repository

Answer 2

I think that Google has (or will soon release), the OT logic of Wave as open source.

Maybe check the Wave Protocol Open Source project.

Inelegance

Answer 3

I was looking for something like this and I stumbled upon sharejs. Hope this helps.

Marsden

Answer 4

While this is not a complete answer you could have a very interesting insight on how Google Wave does it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ykZYKCK7AM

Semple

Answer 5

Have you seen Bespin by Mozilla? For inspiration I mean -- I understand that you're using Rails.

Strephon