standards

If you are a linux lover and want to dig into client/server (socket) programming , this book is a good choice.

Compared with Steven's Unix Network Programming, this book is more simply and clearly written. Not like Steven who is an expert in explaining details, Comer is good at giving a sound explanation of the network programming principle both in theory and in practice. You will find nice "Algorithm" part in many of the examples which is a good abstraction of the general problem. So after the reading you will feel comfortable because of the gain in not only knowledge but also the kind of insight you could use toward other problems. As a distinguished professor in computer science, Comer spells out the single word of engineering ,"Simplicity is beauty", again by presenting this clearly written TCP/IP programming book.

Also some most exciting stuff like RTP (realtime transport protocol), Web server programming models are also included in this latest edition of his Vol 3. And as you expected, the full source code of all the chapters is available online.