XCONF - A NETWORK-BASED IMAGE CONFERENCING SYSTEM

People often need to get together to share and discuss small amounts of image and textual data, but this is difficult when they are not located in the same place. One solution to this problem is Xconf, a multimedia computer conferencing groupware tool using existing national and international networks (the Internet). Simultaneous conferencing supports real-time interaction between multiple remote computer displays. Xconf multimedia may include conversational text, images, pointers to objects in images, and group execution of programs. Conferencing may take place with or without images. Interaction is tightly coupled with all users aware of global changes to the shared session and alternatively, individuals may monitor a specific subgroup of other users to concentrate on what they are discussing. Collaborative groups who have access to both computer networks and networked based X-Window System graphics displays can participate in a conference. Xconf is an X-Window 'client' program which provides multimedia conferencing support for a group of X-Window displays. Because it is centralized, no software other than the standard X-Window System is required on any of the participants display systems. Key data structures and algorithms for image conferencing are present. © 1993 Academic Press, Inc.