This is how it looks like, if open ends are connected in the right manner. Wonderfl is a online-website, where you can livecode Actionscript and run in right away in your browser. The best is, that you can instantly branch (or fork) the codebase from other users and develop new scripts further with that code. The examples, that are already online, are interesting to play with and I really wonder into what the codes are growing into over time. Now we come to the open ends: Some of you will have to think on two projects, that eventually gave a good inspiration to Wonderfl: CodeTree and OpenCode.

CodeTree was a conceptional project for processing-coders, where they could upload and share projects (code) online. The idea was, that everybody can “branch” existing projects and develop on top of the shoulders of others code. Unfortunately the interaction-design on OpenTree was never really upfront, disturbing the workflow. Meanwhile the website is somehow permanently off. Right at the moment it shows a “We are returning in summer 2008″. Wait. It’s early 2009 already..?

OpenCode was/is a research from the Physical Language Workshop / MIT Media Lab, where you can live-code Processing scripts in your browser and let it run right away. Some months ago I wrote here in this blog “Is this the future of programming?“. Maybe yes, maybe no. But Wonderfl just took us one step closer into that direction.