I’m building a text editor inspired by ed, but instead of editing files on disk, it edits live network flows. In this model, files don’t exist as static objects—they exist in motion.

Creating a file generates a self-sustaining pattern of packets circulating through the network, and editing it changes the flow itself. Multiple users can edit the same file simultaneously, because the file isn’t tied to any machine—it’s in the network.

The interface is familiar if you’ve used ed, with commands like append, delete, and substitute, but behind the scenes it’s all live traffic. You can even discover existing flows and jump into them in real time.

It’s a Linux proof-of-concept using raw sockets, and the goal is to explore what files could be if we thought of them as living, circulating processes rather than static storage.

https://github.com/DantrazTrev/nerd

This is insane and I love it!