Sharing Application Local Environment

• US 20120136925A1
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Horiuchi, Yoshio, Uchida, Kenji, Wakao, Masaki
• Granted Patent: US 10,659,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/20 Software design
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

Cloning a local environment is described. Cloning a local environment can enable sharing the environment during pair programming. Cloning can have other uses as well. A server or other computer may maintain a clone environment of a first client apart from a second client such that the cloned computing environment, mimicking the environment of the first client, may be maintained on behalf of and used by a second client.

Claims

1. A method for operating a computer comprising:

in response to a request to create a clone environment of a local environment of a user of a first client, receiving at a computer a notice of intent to participate in the clone environment from a second client, the second client different from the first client;

creating the clone environment on the computer using information on the local environment held by the first client; and

after receiving the notice of intent to participate in the clone environment, enabling editing or browsing of content in the clone environment by the first client and the second client.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of creating the clone environment includes the steps of:

retrieving, using information on the local environment, components of an environment for creating the clone environment on the basis of information from a repository in association with a server; and

merging components of the local environment of an application held by the first client into the retrieved components.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of enabling editing of the content includes the steps of:

checking, upon start of editing of a file on a server, whether information in association with a name of the file has been sent from the first client;

in a case where the information in association with the name of the file has not been sent from the first client,

sending the name of the file to the first client;

acquiring the information in association with the sent name of the file from the first client;

retrieving parameters corresponding to the acquired information from a registry existing in the server; and

if the information in association with the name of the file has been sent from the first client,

retrieving the parameters corresponding to the information in association with the name of the file from the registry existing in the server; and

merging parameters of the local environment of the application held by the first client into the retrieved parameters.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein enabling editing or browsing of the content in the clone environment is implemented by causing the first client to switch the local environment on a screen of the first client to the clone environment or display a window of the clone environment on the screen of the first client.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of the computer inquiring whether a client participates in the clone environment in response to the request to create the clone environment.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

after receipt of the notice of intent to participate, the computer querying the first client whether the first client permits the second client or a user in association with the second client to participate in the clone environment,

wherein the step of creating the clone environment is performed upon receipt of permission for the second client or the user in association with the second client to participate in the clone environment from the first client.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

the computer, a server, storing a changeset that is a log of operations of editing or browsing performed in the clone environment in a storage unit associated with the computer or the step of the computer sending the changeset to the first client.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

the computer storing an identifier of each participant or start time and termination time of operations in the clone environment in a storage unit associated with the computer.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information on the local environment is runtime information of a development environment, baseline information of a file, a document, or code to be used in the application, or private file information.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the runtime information of the development environment is a type of an integrated development environment, a version of a virtual machine, or a software configuration management name.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the baseline information is version management information of a file, a document, or code.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the private file information is source or a library in association with content to be edited.

13. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of creating the clone environment further includes the step of receiving the information on the local environment and the components of the local environment from the first client.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the local environment of the application is an integrated development environment, an office application environment, or an educational support environment.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content is a document, code, office application data, or an educational support file.

16. A method for operating a server comprising:

in response to a request from a user of a first client to create a clone environment creating a clone environment on a server using information of the local environment held by the first client;

receiving a notice of intent to participate in the clone environment from at least a second client, the second client different from the first client; and

after receiving the notice of intent to participate in the clone environment, enabling editing or browsing of content in the clone environment by the first client and the second client.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

after receiving the notice of intent to participate, the server inquiring whether the first client permits the second client to participate in the clone environment,

wherein the step of enabling editing or browsing is performed after receipt of permission for the second client having sent the notice of intent to participate or the user in association with the second client to participate in the clone environment from the first client.

18. A computer comprising:

receipt means for receiving, in response to a request to create a clone environment of the local environment of a user of a first client, a notice of intent to participate in the clone environment from a second client, the second client different from the first client;

creation means for creating the clone environment on a computer using information on the local environment held by the first client; and

clone processing means for enabling editing or browsing content in the clone environment by the first client and the second client, the second client.

19. A device comprising:

creation means for creating, in response to a request to create a clone environment of a local environment of a user of a first client, the clone environment on a computer using information on the local environment held by the first client;

receipt means for receiving a notice of intent to participate in the clone environment from a second client, the second client different from the first client; and

clone processing means for enabling editing or browsing content in the clone environment by the first client and the second client.

20. A nontransient computer program product storing instructions thereon, the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

in response to a request to create a clone environment of a local environment of a user of a first client, receive a notice of intent to participate in the clone environment from a second client, the second client different from the first client;

create the clone environment on the computer using information on the local environment held by the first client; and

after receiving the notice of intent to participate in the clone environment, enable editing or browsing of content in the clone environment by the first client and the second client.