Exhaustive search of puzzles in operational transformation

  • Authors:
  • Chengzheng Sun;Yi Xu;Agustina Agustina

  • Affiliations:
  • Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore;Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore;Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 17th ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work & social computing
  • Year:
  • 2014

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

Operational Transformation (OT) is a collaboration-enabling technology and increasingly adopted in a wide range of real-world applications. One long-lasting issue in OT research is detecting and resolving puzzles -- subtle and characteristic collaborative editing scenarios in which an OT system may fail. After many years of extensive search and research, a variety of intricate puzzles have been de-tected and resolved. However, it remains open whether all puzzles, under certain well-defined conditions, have been discovered. To address this issue, we set out to devise a system of verification frameworks and a software tool, that are independent of specific OT algorithms and able to ex-haustively cover all possible transformation cases in which puzzles (if any) will manifest themselves. With the support of these tools, we verified OT correctness and concluded: all puzzles, under basic data and operation models and established transformation properties, have been discov-ered and resolved. Our discoveries help resolve a number of long-standing mysteries surrounding OT correctness and contribute to the advancement of OT fundamental knowledge and technology.