The Theory of patches-vector

Would it not be sufficient to define <i>Edit a</i> minimally as:<p><pre><code> data Edit a = Insert Int a | Delete Int </code></pre> given that a Delete only needs the place of deletion and a Replace is a Delete followed by an Insert?

Is there a &#x27;category theory for programmers&#x27; text anyone could recommend?

Other than formalism what new stuff does this introduce that text OT libraries (such as google wave(?), etherpad, etc) haven&#x27;t done?

A better title would be &quot;how to make simple things complicated&quot;