Google: Here’s what our new Drive Realtime API can do

Google may have distracted us from its Drive downtime with the new Drive Realtime API, but what exactly does that do for you if you’ve already taken the plunge or are considering jumping into the cloud? Thankfully Google has been working with a few service providers already to give us an idea of why the Drive Realtime API will change our lives, including Docs-style shared collaboration on Drive-stored code, collective scheduling, and even group graphics work.

Some of Google’s examples share some overlap, at least at first glance, with other services, like Google Docs, though with the benefits of a huge chunk of online space and Drive’s other advantages. Neutron Drive now supports a collective editor feature for any document or source code file you have in your Drive account, with room for multiple people to work on the same file simultaneously:

Elsewhere, there’s collaboration support for project scheduling, with Gantter using the new API to bake in IM-style chat, project editing, and Gantt diagram manipulation. Obviously there are controls around who can access documents and who can edit them, as well as color-coding so that each person’s changes are trackable:

Finally, from Google’s showcase, there’s draw.io, which as the name suggests is a diagramming app. Just as with the multi-author Gantt diagrams in Gantter, draw.io allows a remote team to work together on flowcharts, electronic circuits, and other diagrams:

Those developers keen to get onboard with the Drive Realtime API can find documentation and examples here, plus there’s a step-by-step guide to implementing it. There’s also a realtime collaborative Rubik’s Cube style puzzle you can play with.