The Definitive Guide to Linux Network Programming

Description

Skimpy coverage, the code compiles with a bazillion warnings, and for me at least the first client/server examples just plain don't work and don't provide useful enough error messages to figure out. It's not until you get to a much later chapter that you learn about debugging techniques that *might* help. This debugging information should either have been moved forward within the book, or should have been forward-referenced from the first example. Additionally the book repeats the same information over and over again, for instance in any example that calls for the use of the INADDR_ANY constant, the author explains what it stands for each and every time. This sort of repetition is simply not acceptable in a book fancying itself as somehow "definitive" yet only 300 or so pages. Furthermore, rather than covering ins and outs of actual network programming, far too much is devoted to the basics of various protocols (the first 20+% of the book), and/or security specifically (the last 20+% of the book). A better title for this book would be Linux Network Programming *Fundamentals*, and as such this would warrant 4 stars, maybe even 5 if it taught debugging earlier. As a *Definitive Guide* though it is a 2 at best; if you want truly definitive, albeit regarding Unix generally and not necessarily Linux, Stevens' "Unix Network Programming" series is the real deal.