Towards improved collaborative text editing CRDTs by using Natural Language Processing

Jim Bauwens; Kevin De Porre; Elisa Gonzalez Boix

doi:10.1145/3578358.3591330

Towards improved collaborative text editing CRDTs by using Natural Language Processing

Jim Bauwens, Kevin De Porre, Elisa Gonzalez Boix

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper

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Abstract

Collaborative text editing systems are used in a variety of cloud-based products. To ensure that documents remain consistent between users, these systems often rely on CRDTs, operational transformation, or other techniques for achieving (strong) eventual consistency. CRDT-based approaches are appealing as they incorporate strategies to ensure that concurrent updates cannot conflict. However, these strategies do not necessarily take into account program semantics and may result in unexpected behaviour from the end-user's perspective.

For example, conflict resolution strategies in collaborative text editors may lead to duplicate words and incorrectly merged sentences. This position paper investigates the use of deterministic natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to improve the concurrency semantics of collaborative text editing systems that rely on CRDTs, aiming to provide a better end-user experience. We explore what is needed to ensure convergence, and highlight potential difficulties with the approach.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	PaPoC '23: Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data
Place of Publication	Rome, Italy
Publisher	ACM
Pages	51-55
Number of pages	5
Volume	Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data
Edition	10th
ISBN (Electronic)	979-8-4007-0086-6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3578358.3591330
Publication status	Published - 8 May 2023
Event	10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data - Rome, Italy Duration: 8 May 2023 → …

Publication series

Name	PaPoC 2023 - Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data, Part of: EuroSys 2023

Workshop

Workshop	10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data
Abbreviated title	PaPoC '23
Country/Territory	Italy
City	Rome
Period	8/05/23 → …

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 ACM.

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10.1145/3578358.3591330

papoc23Accepted author manuscript, 461 KB

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Bauwens, J., De Porre, K., & Gonzalez Boix, E. (2023). Towards improved collaborative text editing CRDTs by using Natural Language Processing. In PaPoC '23: Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data (10th ed., Vol. Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data, pp. 51-55). Article 8 (PaPoC 2023 - Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data, Part of: EuroSys 2023). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3578358.3591330

Bauwens, Jim ; De Porre, Kevin ; Gonzalez Boix, Elisa. / Towards improved collaborative text editing CRDTs by using Natural Language Processing. PaPoC '23: Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data. Vol. Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data 10th. ed. Rome, Italy : ACM, 2023. pp. 51-55 (PaPoC 2023 - Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data, Part of: EuroSys 2023).

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abstract = "Collaborative text editing systems are used in a variety of cloud-based products. To ensure that documents remain consistent between users, these systems often rely on CRDTs, operational transformation, or other techniques for achieving (strong) eventual consistency. CRDT-based approaches are appealing as they incorporate strategies to ensure that concurrent updates cannot conflict. However, these strategies do not necessarily take into account program semantics and may result in unexpected behaviour from the end-user's perspective.For example, conflict resolution strategies in collaborative text editors may lead to duplicate words and incorrectly merged sentences. This position paper investigates the use of deterministic natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to improve the concurrency semantics of collaborative text editing systems that rely on CRDTs, aiming to provide a better end-user experience. We explore what is needed to ensure convergence, and highlight potential difficulties with the approach.",

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Bauwens, J , De Porre, K & Gonzalez Boix, E 2023, Towards improved collaborative text editing CRDTs by using Natural Language Processing. in PaPoC '23: Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data. 10th edn, vol. Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data, 8, PaPoC 2023 - Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data, Part of: EuroSys 2023, ACM, Rome, Italy, pp. 51-55, 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data, Rome, Italy, 8/05/23. https://doi.org/10.1145/3578358.3591330

Towards improved collaborative text editing CRDTs by using Natural Language Processing. / Bauwens, Jim ; De Porre, Kevin ; Gonzalez Boix, Elisa.
PaPoC '23: Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data. Vol. Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data 10th. ed. Rome, Italy: ACM, 2023. p. 51-55 8 (PaPoC 2023 - Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data, Part of: EuroSys 2023).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper

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Bauwens J , De Porre K , Gonzalez Boix E. Towards improved collaborative text editing CRDTs by using Natural Language Processing. In PaPoC '23: Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data. 10th ed. Vol. Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data. Rome, Italy: ACM. 2023. p. 51-55. 8. (PaPoC 2023 - Proceedings of the 10th Workshop on Principles and Practice of Consistency for Distributed Data, Part of: EuroSys 2023). doi: 10.1145/3578358.3591330

Towards improved collaborative text editing CRDTs by using Natural Language Processing

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