A method of conducting an interactive design conference over the Internet,
comprises: selectively admitting clients communicating through web
browsers over the Internet to an interactive design conference; receiving
a graphics file indicative of a design from one of the clients; and
transmitting the graphics file to the other clients so as to be viewable
as a graphics image through graphics file readers in the client web
browsers. The graphics file is generated by a snapshot program previously
transmitted to a client initiating the design conference and controlling
the design database. Java applets are transmitted to each of the design
conference participants to facilitate communicating annotations of the
graphics image and messages between clients through their web browsers.
