It’s been my goal since the day I started paste2 to figure out how I can bring something new to the pastebin concept. I’ve targetted performance (already fast, but improved again in the new code), tried to make the interface as uncluttered as possible (which is also much improved in the new code) and paste2 is about to get the Akamai treatment on it’s assets with the new code. Not wanting to just compete and be like other pastebins, I’ve been trying to figure out – for over 3 years now in fact, where pastebins should go next. I’m absolutely convinced now that the next step for pastebins is ‘live’ real-time collaberative editing.
After seeing this happening in a IRC channel not long back, being done inside an editor that is really designed for creating word processed style documents, but with code, I’m absolutely sure it’s the way forward.
The problem of course is that this stuff isn’t easy. I already have a plan to do it using some parts of google mobwrite, and building the server side in PHP because it’ll be faster – and I’ll trust myself more if a bug comes up to know the language ins and outs, which while I can write Python I don’t really trust it or myself. I could easily just do it easily using mobwrite in it’s entirety but the performance wouldn’t be great, and like I said – if something came up it’d probably push my Python knowledge.
Problem is getting it done. I was thinking about (and started) writing the whole thing into the new code, but I’ve changed my mind – I’m going to push the new code out on the new application server, then start working on that.
There’s some other good pastebins around, since paste2 came on the scene (at the time pastebin.com was down basically all the time) some other new ones have popped up and are helping improve the competition in the ‘market’, which can’t be a bad thing. Even pastebin.com has had a redesign now (after being sold).
