COLLECE-2.0: A real-time collaborative programming system on Eclipse

Abstract

There is evidence that group learning techniques facilitate programming learning. Existing tools have limited functionalities, mainly in relation to the synchronization and consistency of shared documents. The COLLECE-2.0 system, a plug-in for the Eclipse platform, provides a collaborative programming environment, distributed and in real time. Its interface has been designed with a special emphasis on aspects related to awareness and collaboration. This work describes a first experience developed to evaluate this system. In general, all aspects of the evaluated interface have been well appreciated, especially the public chat between all members of the group and the possibility that areas of code can be locked to avoid unwanted changes during collaborative editing.