EtherPad Shuts Down after Google Acquisition: "
EtherPad is a Web-based tool for simultaneous writing, in which multiple people can see keystrokes as other people type them. It's now about to disappear after the acquisition by Google of AppJet, the firm that developed and supports EtherPad, and its developers.
EtherPad will continue to operate until 31 March 2010 for registered free and paid users, although AppJet won't charge fees after 4 December 2009. Free public pads can no longer be created, nor can new accounts be registered. Paid users can download all their current documents via the account page. Downloadable versions of the software will be supported through current contracts.
The AppJet folks are joining the group behind Google Wave, the invitation-only service in testing by Google for simultaneous and sequential writing, discussion, and interaction. I've been using it for some weeks, and still find it baffling, where EtherPad was instantly explicable and useful. I hope the AppJet team brings its approach with them. (Two of the three AppJet developers were previously Google employees, reports GigaOm, which notes the deal was worth 'less than $20 million.')
I wrote about EtherPad early this year - see 'EtherPad Brings Simultaneous Writing to the Web,' 16 February 2009 - after we at TidBITS started using it extensively. While we still like SubEthaEdit, which has its own advantages, EtherPad allowed ad hoc and program-free collaboration.
EtherPad was created by AppJet, a firm that started up to develop a Web applications platform - a simplified way for companies to start with all the basics to build rich browser-based programs. EtherPad was a bit of a proof of concept that turned into a separate line of business.
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