Etherpad – Online Text Editor for Collaboration

Etherpad is a free and simple open-source online text editor for real-time collaboration. It’s available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Etherpad Text Editor Features

This is a simple program for entering and editing text documents. The user interface is similar to other text editors. Etherpad’s main goal is to enable multiple users to work simultaneously on the same document in real-time. This means that every new change is immediately available to other users.

One of the most important functions of this text editor is the Time Slider, which allows you to return to any previous version of the document, with all changes that occurred in between. Each user can use a different text color to make it easier to identify who wrote what. Additionally, Etherpad enables discussion between users within the document itself.

Basic text formatting is supported: bold, italic, underlining, numbering, and lists. These functions will be immediately clear to anyone who has had any contact with computers, so they don’t need special explanation. The link insertion option is useful for connecting with other content.

Etherpad has add-ons for spell check, chat, auto-save, image and table support. These significantly extend the program’s functionality. Documents can be saved and then shared in all commonly used text formats, such as html, .txt, .doc, and .pdf.

Using Etherpad

To start working in Etherpad, you first need a server. You can use the public server at etherpad.org or run your own. Since this is just a basic overview of the application, we won’t write about the installation procedure, which is well described at the following link. After starting the program, you create a new document, called a “pad” here. Each document has a URL address. Those who have access to that address can view and edit the document, meaning you need to share the link with collaborators. Now you can start working on the document itself. If needed, install the previously mentioned add-ons. You can present created documents by sharing the URL or exporting them to any of the mentioned formats. That’s it.

Who is Etherpad for?

Etherpad is a simple and free program. It’s not overcrowded with features. It belongs to those programs that do one task, but do it well. If you’re interested in similar projects, read these posts too: Markor, Typora, Logseq.

This is a free program and it’s open-source. Therefore, it’s possible to adapt it to your needs and then deploy it on your own server. This further increases the level of security and privacy. After installation, Etherpad can be used immediately, no special training is required to work in the application. This is a text editor with emphasis on collaboration. It can be used on different platforms and integrated with other tools through add-ons and thus adapted to specific user needs.

This application is often used in education, teamwork, research, and in all other situations where multiple people need to edit a text document simultaneously. Students need it for taking notes and collaborative work on projects. Researchers use it for data collection, editing joint articles, and research notes. Business users use it for brainstorming, meetings, and writing strategies in real-time.

Platform:
Windows, macOS, and Linux

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