http://neil.fraser.name/writing/sync/ file persistence could be just another client with deliberate huge latency to save on disk writes? ------------------ server master per-client shadow client shadow client master ------------------ client edits write to clientmaster. client also reads from there. When the last update is done, graph: (s1 p1 o1) client1 writes a loose patch: del (s1 p1 *), add (s1 p1 o2) client2 gets in another loose patch first: del (s1 p1 *), add (s1 p1 o3) on the server, we make an invertible patch: del (s1 p1 o1), add (s1 p1 o2) then another invertible patch: del (s1 p1 o2), add (s1 p1 o3) some clients need this patch: del (s1 p1 o1), add (s1 p1 o3) client1 needs this patch: del (s1 p1 o1), add (s1 p1 o2) --------- graph: () client1 writes a patch: add (s1, p1, o1) client2 writes a patch: add (s1, p1, o1) on the server, client2's patch is rewritten to no-op.