This thesis deals with the problem of allowing a latecomer to join a computer-based conference that is already in progress. A conference is a synchronous collaboration session where people at remote locations are cooperating through identical copies of windows generated by applications shared by all conference participants. The shared windows are displayed by window systems residing on the collaborators' workstations according to commands issued by the shared applications. A solution to the problem of accommodating a latecomer is found by recording the modifications to the window system's state implied in the series of commands generated by the applications, and later imposing these state modifications on a latecomer's window system. An efficient way to record the state modifications is introduced in this thesis. As a future goal, the study suggests that the recording and replaying functions be combined into the window system.

A PostScript copy of this thesis is unavailable. However, papers derived from this thesis that are available on-line include: