Online collaboration

摘要

For instance, in the case of a software implementation, the terms “component” or “functionality” may refer to program code that performs specified tasks when executed on a processing device or devices (e.g., processor(s) 720). The program code can be stored in one or more computer readable memory devices as described above. The illustrated separation of components and functionality into distinct units may reflect an actual physical grouping and allocation of such software and/or hardware, or can correspond to a conceptual allocation of different tasks performed by a single software program and/or hardware unit.

主权项

1. A method for enabling collaborative editing of a file, the method comprising:
in a client device having an agent running therein, the agent detecting changes made to an open copy of the file that is open on the client device; in the client device and responsive to detecting the changes, the agent identifying a list of one or more users with which the file is shared and determining whether a peer-to-peer connection can be made with one or more further client devices associated respectively with the one or more users and, in response to determining that the peer-to-peer connection cannot be made, determining whether an intermediate connection can be made; in the client device, when both the peer-to-peer connection and the intermediate connection cannot be made, persisting the detected changes; and, when at least one of the peer-to-peer connection and the intermediate connection can be made, selectively transmitting the changes across the network to said one or more further client devices for one or more respective agents to apply said changes to respective copies of said file.