Collaborative Coding Interfaces on the Web

TL;DR: A theoretical and technical methodology for developing collaborative coding interfaces as web applications, tackling the issues of interactive rendering, user‐platform interaction and collaboration is introduced.

Abstract: The recent developments in Web technologies, including full‐stack reactive application frameworks, peer‐to‐peer communication and client‐side audiovisual APIs have introduced the possibility of creative collaboration in a number of contexts. Such technologies have the potential to transform the way Internet users interact with code. This paper introduces a theoretical and technical methodology for developing collaborative coding interfaces as web applications, tackling the issues of interactive rendering, user‐platform interaction and collaboration. A number of existing interactive programming environments are reviewed, followed by a technical description and evaluation of CodeCircle, a collaborative coding web platform developed at Goldsmiths, University of London.