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Sync.in is an EtherPad clone with some actual style
Ever since Google bought out EtherPad and EtherPad released the source code, tons of clones started popping up. Most of them are sites like PiratePad, which are pure clones with absolutely no added creativity or style. It's just a complete reinstall, with nothing new. That's okay, I guess, but it's far from newsworthy.
At last, I've spotted someone who used this gem of an application in a slightly more creative way.
Rather than just providing a vanilla reinstall of the same old EtherPad, Sync.in took the service and added their own style, proper branding, and a nice video (which you can watch after the fold), without changing any of the functionality. They actually seem to be trying to make some money and differentiate themselves from the pack. Oh, and they also added a desktop client (kind of) that lets you start new notes from the desktop.
Personally, I think this is what it takes to make the EtherPad code popular and accessible to more people. Yes, I know Google is merging it into Wave, but I'm talking about EtherPad as a stand-alone product here, set apart from the all-devouring Google. Making EtherPad itself popular takes marketing, and marketing takes money, and these guys are obviously trying to make some.
When they get EtherPad users, the more nerdy folks would probably say "hey, we can set this up on our own servers," which would only get the EtherPad code an even larger user-base. I have to give kudos to Sync.in for their efforts.
Comments
3
Subscribe to commentsSinani201May 4th 2010 12:53PM
It's pretty much a vanilla EtherPad with a black theme. There really isn't much special about it, except the desktop thing.
Romasha Roy ChoudhuryMay 5th 2010 5:35AM
Thanks for the amazing write up about Sync.in, Erez. Glad to know that you liked the redesigned intuitive user interface of Sync.in.
Cynapse has taken up the challenge to drive Etherpad's truly innovative technology ahead. The desktop client is a firestarter to our vision. It not only enables easy access and creation of notes, it also lets the Pro users search for their notes and access their list of notes right from their desktops. We plan to add a lot more features to the desktop as well as increase the social aspect in the web system.
We'd love to hear more feedback and feature requests for Sync.in over at the Sync.in community : http://www.cynapse.com/community/home/sync.in-users
Dhiraj GuptaMay 5th 2010 6:05AM
Awesome review, Erez, you really get what we're about, at Sync.in.
We're making Sync.in a commercially viable, sustainable and stable service that it's customers can *depend* on; it is this that truly makes us different from all the other clones out there. The integrated billing and support system that we offer is top of the line, and is the same proven, professional approach that has given us great success with our Enterprise collaboration system, Cyn.in.
From the user's perspective, Sync.in's audience is not the nerdy folks who can build their own private Etherpad server that can serve their own individual needs, and keep it online to solve their needs alone - it's for the people who would rather not worry, know, or even care about how it works, but instead enjoy utilizing the service.