Customer Reviews

Pocket Guide to TCP/IP Socket Programming in C (Morgan Kaufmann Series in Networking)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I own several books on sockets programming for TCP/IP. Most are quite large and pricey, address a specific environment such as UNIX (BSD sockets) or Windows (WinSock), and get bogged down in user interface details.

The Pocket Guide to TCP/IP Socket Programming in C is both small in size (130 pages) and price yet provides a great deal of quality information. Within the book, you will find C source code (appears to be ANSI/ISO C) for small functional clients and servers using both the TCP and UDP transports. The C code examples used in the book are traditional in that they favor the UNIX environment. However, all is not lost. If you visit the publishers website you will find WinSock adaptations for nearly all (17 of 22) of the examples in the book.

To avoid unnecessary distractions, the applications in this book use a text rather than a GUI interface; if you are programming for the PC under Windows use the Win32 Console Application project type.

Besides the source code examples, there are sufficient diagrams and text explanations to give an application programmer enough information to write well-behaved network applications. This book would be perfect for teaching network application programming at a school or as part of a corporate training program.

The book deals with an exciting topic at a nice price.

I didn't even know what a socket was before I got this book. Less than a week later I have successfully completed several programs for my employer that use sockets to communicate. This book is written for Unix, but with the supplemental Windows programs at the MKP website I was able to write programs in a Windows environment with ease. This book is clear and concise and contains all the information you need at a price that is at least three times less than that of other books I have seen. I would certainly recommend it to anyone trying to learn sockets.

Compared to other network programming books, this IS pocket sized. However, you shouldn't judge a book based on its size (like a previous reviewer). It's a great introduction to sockets programming. Very clear and concise, with no wasted pages. I had never worked with sockets before reading this book, and now I understand enough to build non-trivial applications. It's essential for the beginning sockets programmer. Also, if you're new to sockets and looking to jump into the Stevens book, this might make that book a little easier to read.

I was disappointed in this book, but it is still usually the first of the many on the shelf that I reach for when I need a quick sockets reference. The examples are excellent. The API reference is the biggest disappointment, it is incomplete and occasionally inaccurate. There are many better books for WinSock programmers, but for C/Unix programmers this is a handy book to have on the shelf. Be sure to check out the Stevens _Unix Network Programming_ book for a deeper and more authoritative reference.

With this price and relatively small number of pages, this book clearly explained the socket programming. And its way of explaining things is just amazingly good.

This book is a good introduction to programming sockets in C. The presentation is UNIX/POSIX based but is fine for Windows programmers who wanting to get an introduction to TCP/IP programming. This is a practical guide that gets to the point, theory and TCP/IP design underpinnings are left to other books. Don't expect to much from this book it is short, 130 pages, and 20 of that is an API reference. It's ok for those simply interested in the subject or if used as a primer before reading something more substantive on the subject. A more complete book on the subject is "Network Programming for Windows" by Jones and Ohlund.

If you just want to know how to start making TCP/IP sockets, this book is a great starting point. Solid code that works and is easy to understand. I had a basic server running in an hour.

I ordered this book because I needed a quick and dirty explanation of how to write socket programs in C. The text was straight to the point and explained to me everything I needed to know.

I bought this guide while in College for one of my programming classes. I could not be more happy with this guide. It told me exactly what I need to know without going on and on. I highly recommend this guide if you want an understanding of TCP/IP sockets.

Having written network code for both Unix and Windows in professional and academic environments, I can say that this book is quite possibly THE perfect TCP/IP sockets programming quick reference guide for the Unix/Linux environment. If you are looking for a good reference guide with many concise code examples, then this is the book for you!

Every example that I tried worked beautifully; it's apparent that the authors took great care in crafting this book. As an aside, I attended an advanced, graduate level networking class taught by one of the authors (Dr. Calvert). It was an amazing class! This author knows his "stuff."