Bespin 0.1: Mozilla's Collaborative Web Code Editor
Firefox provider Mozilla has released a new Web development tool called Bespin. The project should not only make programming Web applications easier, but make it a collaborative effort worldwide.
Mozilla promises through its Bespin code editor that Web designers can more quickly and easily rework large amounts of data, even when distributed across the globe. Mozilla began the project in October 2008 with the core group of Ajax experts Dion Almaer and Ben Galbraith. In an introductory video on their project page, the two developers show the current results of their work: "As part of this announcement, we’re also releasing an early experimental prototype to demonstrate some of the concepts of Bespin and the possibilities that it opens up." Ease of use is one of Mozilla's priorities: "The editor experience should not be intimidating and should facilitate quickly getting straight into the code," according to the project page.
The alpha version already provides essential editing possibilities. Examples include syntax highlighting, undo/redo, previewing files in the browser and importing/exporting projects. Real-time collaboration allows colleagues to share live coding sessions. Even command line users will get editor tools akin to vi and Emacs. The Bespin team especially wants people involved and to provide suggestions. Users can extend functionality through the plug-in API and Ubiquity-like commands. "All of the source code underlying the Bespin experiment is being released as open source software under the MPL," or Mozilla Public License, according to the project page.
The Bespin 0.1 release is primarily and quite explicitly a prototype. A demo, video, the source code and further details are available on the Bespin webpage. Mozilla requests community test feedback to Mozilla Labs.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.