Is a multi-user application a possibility on free hosting?

[shant93]

I have a project idea, but before even looking into it, I want to know if it is possible, both actually possible and in compliance with the rules, to run it.

The idea is a quick-to-use multi-viewer doodling service, something similar to Google Docs, but for doodling, and without having to log in.
The main purpose of this service would be to mutually solve something like geometry problems (That is my personal use for such a service).

My question: is this doable on x10's free servers, and, if so, what kind of technology would I need? Is jQuery sufficient?

-- Edit --
(Also, if anyone knows a similar service that already exists, please link. The only reason I am intending to make such a service is because I can't find any online)

 

[dadinck30]

You can try http://colorillo.com/ . Works well with multi-user.

 

[mraz]

the script Moodle comes first thing in my mind but i have never used it so i'm not quite sure. looking at the description on Softaculous, seems like it has the functions as stated above.

 

[essellar]

Moodle is a courseware package for online education.

The application you describe is doable, but it would probably be very "chatty" (lots of server requests to put and fetch data) compared to an equivalent text-based co-editor. If you were to design it using, say, an HTML5 canvas element, a canvas drawing library like Raphael, and restrict it to vector lines/shapes (no raster drawing), you might be able to keep the requests simple enough and infrequent enough to make it work on a Free Hosting account, but I have a feeling that if it's doing enough to seem anything like responsive, it'll probably require more resources than you get with Free Hosting. Especially if there are more than two users, you'd probably need to keep the drawing "alive" in memory throughout the edit session, since serializing and deserializing (storing and re-opening) the drawing between user events would probably take too long, and for something like that you'd need a hosting plan that allows you a continuing (if often idling) process and a minimum chunk of RAM that always belongs to you. Most shared hosting doesn't work that way; you're usually allowed a part-time share of a processor core, a maximum execution time, and an allotment of RAM only when your request is being serviced. If you can really haul in any expectations of "real time" collaboration (a much more turn-based sort of cooperative edit), then you can probably make it work if you stick to vectors.

Either way, it's within the rules if you can manage to stay within the CPU resource limits and keep the database hits down to a dull roar.

 

[misson]

(Also, if anyone knows a similar service that already exists, please link. The only reason I am intending to make such a service is because I can't find any online)

About 10 seconds of googling turned up GlobalDoodle. Another 3 turned up various cooperative drawing programs & sites, including a question on Yahoo! Answers asking for the best one and a thread on The Webcomic List forums.