Communication, Control, and State Sharing in Collaborative Live Coding

In the setting of collaborative live coding, a number of issues emerge: (1) need for communication, (2) issues of conflicts in sharing program state space, and (3) remote control of code execution. In this paper, we propose solutions to these problems. In the recent extension of UrMus, a programming environment for mobile music application development, we introduce a paradigm of shared and individual namespaces safeguard against conflicts in parallel coding activities. We also develop live variable view that communicates live changes in state among live coders, networked performers, and the audience. Lastly, we integrate collaborative aspects of programming execution into built-in live chat, which enables not only communication with others, but also distributed execution of code.