Words

Network programming, in specific, network programming with BSD sockets is somewhat a strange science.  Not many topics are covered in as many old libraries retained for “historical reasons” and oddities of dealing with so many strange conditions that I’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with.  In this N-part series I will attempt to explain some of the strange requirements as well as the common mistakes while giving an introduction to this fun and exciting topic.

Now, many books, articles and various other sources of information on the topic exist, so why should I create another one?  Mostly to blend the line beteen refference and tutorial, as well as intermix the topics of TCP/IP, which are essentially required knowledge for functioning applications.  But in reality, the only reason I’m writing this is for my own amusement, so if something comes from it, good for all, if not, then still good for me.  If during the course of this article, you notice a mistake, either technical, gramatical or pretty much any other case, please leave me a comment, I will review it, and while weeping silently for hours, correct it and attempt to bring honor back into my life.

So without much more rambling, we’ll move ahead to a definition of the problem at hand.
(Continued)