TCP/IP Sockets in C, 2nd Edition

Chapter 1 Introduction

Today people use computers to make phone calls, watch TV, send instant messages to their friends, play games with other people, and buy most anything you can think of—from songs to automobiles. The ability of programs to communicate over the Internet makes all this possible. It’s hard to say how many individual computers are now reachable over the Internet, but we can safely say that it is growing rapidly; it won’t be long before the number is in the billions. Moreover, new applications are being developed every day. With the push for ever increasing bandwidth and access, the impact of the Internet will continue to grow for the forseeable future.

How does a program communicate with another program over a network? The goal ...