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What exactly is wrong with using Google Docs for writing that makes this better?
by wfunction 13y ago
What exactly is wrong with using Google Docs for writing that makes this better?
- tiglionabbit 13y agoHeck, now that the Google Drive Realtime Collaboration API exists, he might as well build his system on top of that. https://developers.google.com/drive/realtime/reference/ https://developers.google.com/drive/realtime/reference/
- rattray 13y agoI haven't used the realtime API specifically, but my experiences building a startup around the Drive API leaves me extremely wary about relying on Google/Drive for anything critical. I currently wrap any call to their api in a try_5_times function since they 500 so frequently, and have to put all drive-related tasks in an exponential-backoff queue even after that for when they go down more seriously. Not what I'd want for core realtime functionality. Would be very curious to hear from others who've used the actual realtime api, however.
- guynamedloren 13y agoI don't see Penflip as a replacement for Google Docs, but there are some cases where Docs breaks down - specifically when there are too many collaborators and when the content is too complex. Another interesting aspect is the need for multiple versions of the same core content - like a syllabus or textbook - with minor variations and modifications as needed. Something like this is unacheivable with Google Docs. For small groups working on a short research paper, Google Docs is great. But could you imagine a book being written with Google Docs, especially with multiple people? That'd be completely unmanageable. I love the HoTT book [1], because it's a great example of using GitHub to write a book with multiple contributors, and really illustrates the shortcomings with other technology [2]. [1] https://github.com/HoTT/book https://github.com/HoTT/book [2] http://math.andrej.com/2013/06/20/the-hott-book/ http://math.andrej.com/2013/06/20/the-hott-book/