major software change. Some two-way synchronization protocol (like unison) would be needed.
what if someone else edits your article after you last see it?
This is something that existing systems like CVS and unison already deal with. When I decide to sync, the software would inform me about any editing conflicts, and I would have to either resolve them or discard my own changes. The edit conflict could be moved to my local copy, so I could resolve it offline and commit it the next time I'm online (provided the same page hasn't changed again, in which case there would be a new editing conflict). My offline software would need a "recent conflicts" listing. :-) As I said, this would be a major software change. But it is still a sweet dream, isn't it?
i rather prefer the current system,
Which is fine. The current system would still work as it does today.