Systems and methods for providing collaborative editing

A method for collaboratively editing a computer file using a plurality of computers in a network, wherein the computers are connected using a token ring, each of the computers has a local copy of the file, a first computer has edited its local copy of the file, and the method is performed by a second computer, the method comprising:

• receiving a broadcast message from the first computer, wherein the broadcast message identifies a location of an edited portion of the file;
• determining if a local copy of the file for the second computer has been edited at the location identified in the broadcast message;
• if the local copy of the file for the second computer has been edited at the location identified in the broadcast message, transmitting conflicts back to the first computer, wherein the first computer reconciles its edits with the conflicts to provide reconciled changes to the file in a data packet;
• receiving the data packet on the token ring;
• and
• updating the local copy of the file for the second computer with the reconciled changes contained in the data packet.

A system for collaboratively editing a computer file, comprising:

• a network of computers adapted to communicate with each other through an Internet connection,
• wherein each computer has a local copy of the computer file, and each computer is adapted for use to edit each computer's own local copy of the computer file,
• wherein the network of computers are connected using a virtual token ring, and
• wherein, when its own local copy of the computer file has been edited, each computer is adapted to:
• capture a token circulating around the virtual token ring;
• determine a location of an edited portion of its own local copy of the file;
• broadcast the location to the other computers in the network;
• receive conflicts from the other computers;
• reconcile the conflicts from the other computers with the edited portion of its own local copy of the file to provide reconciled edits to the file;
• update its own local copy of the file with the reconciled edits;
• create a data packet with the reconciled edits;
• and
• transmit the data packet around the token ring.