Google Buys Wave Competitor
The Californian Software company Appjet has been added to Google’s Wave team. Appjet’s collaborative Web editor Etherpad was initially supposed to be scrapped, but is now planned for Open Source release.
This past Friday, Appjet and Google made it known that the five-person team will now be working on the Wave communication platform. This means that the freely-accessible Etherpad service as well as the commercial variation will be discarded as of April 2010. In the following 48 hours, a plethora of disappointed comments popped up (i.e. “not cool Google”) in response to the announcement. In reaction to these responses, Appjet is currently negotiating with Google to try to preserve Etherpad (in Open Source form). The service is to stay online, at least until the code is open sourced, according to a new announcement from Saturday. The new comments are more favorable: “What a cool thing to do!”
Etherpad is a web based text editor. The application allows groups to register and work on documents together in real time without registering. The special point there is that real time is made possible via a patented synchronization algorithm. Should delays or pauses occur on the monitors of the users, this lies solely on the capabilities of the network cable. (Hence the name “Etherpad”.) The participants of such a work group are listed in the right side of the monitor display, where each user is assigned his or her own color. Each color also corresponds to the highlighted text each user contributes to the document at hand. The finished text can be exported as text, html, MS Office or PDF.
The founders of the Etherpad company mainly come from Google’s own ranks: one of the co-founders and the CEO, as well as the CTO and the COO worked for the search engine giant before their Appjet time and are now returning, in effect. Google has been working on the browser based communication and collaboration platform Wave since the middle of this year, which is also considered a real time collaboration similar to Appjet Etherpad. In contrast to Etherpad, Wave is intended to have more cababilities. For example, Wiki- and E-mail functions are to be incorporated. Etherpad for its part gets points for focusing on its feature of text editing and creating in real time for various applications including collaborative notes for conference calls, collaborative coding or also on the testing of programmer abilities with remote location job interview. Users of Etherpad are also invited by Google to get test accounts for Google Wave.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe 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
-
Gnome 47.1 Released with a Few Fixes
The latest release of the Gnome desktop is all about fixing a few nagging issues and not about bringing new features into the mix.
-
System76 Unveils an Ampere-Powered Thelio Desktop
If you're looking for a new desktop system for developing autonomous driving and software-defined vehicle solutions. System76 has you covered.
-
VirtualBox 7.1.4 Includes Initial Support for Linux kernel 6.12
The latest version of VirtualBox has arrived and it not only adds initial support for kernel 6.12 but another feature that will make using the virtual machine tool much easier.
-
New Slimbook EVO with Raw AMD Ryzen Power
If you're looking for serious power in a 14" ultrabook that is powered by Linux, Slimbook has just the thing for you.
-
The Gnome Foundation Struggling to Stay Afloat
The foundation behind the Gnome desktop environment is having to go through some serious belt-tightening due to continued financial problems.
-
Thousands of Linux Servers Infected with Stealth Malware Since 2021
Perfctl is capable of remaining undetected, which makes it dangerous and hard to mitigate.
-
Halcyon Creates Anti-Ransomware Protection for Linux
As more Linux systems are targeted by ransomware, Halcyon is stepping up its protection.
-
Valve and Arch Linux Announce Collaboration
Valve and Arch have come together for two projects that will have a serious impact on the Linux distribution.
-
Hacker Successfully Runs Linux on a CPU from the Early ‘70s
From the office of "Look what I can do," Dmitry Grinberg was able to get Linux running on a processor that was created in 1971.
-
OSI and LPI Form Strategic Alliance
With a goal of strengthening Linux and open source communities, this new alliance aims to nurture the growth of more highly skilled professionals.
Uhhuh - Competitor
Uh?
Wow!
I fervently hope you mean "competitor"...