Google boosts Wave with AppJet buy

The real-time EtherPad text tool will be integrated with Google Wave

Google has announced the acquisition of AppJet, the company behind the EtherPad real-time web-based text collaboration application.

The search giant has made the move in order to enhance its Google Wave product, and has confirmed that AppJet staff will be joining the Wave team. There is no word on the value of the acquisition yet.

The move drew strong criticism from existing EtherPad customers, forcing AppJet into a hasty retreat.

The company announced on Friday that users would no longer be able to create public 'pads', or documents, on either professional or free editions of the software. However, in a blog post on Saturday the company's former chief executive Aaron Iba announced that the firm had re-enabled pad creation from the EtherPad home page.

He acknowledged that many users "were not super thrilled with the transition plan we announced", and claimed that the company had worked with Google and the Wave team to improve the situation.

The changes include working with the Google Wave team to provide all EtherPad users with the ability to preview Google Wave while the software is still in its invitation-only phase.

AppJet also announced that it had begun planning how to open source the code to EtherPad and the underlying AppJet Web Framework, a move that drew far more positive feedback from the EtherPad community.

Google confirmed the acquisition but had no other comment to give.