UNIX Network Programming
UNIX Network Programming by Stevensby Stevens
Shares rank 81 of 106 programming books by recommenders
Recommended as a famous, iconic reference that helped readers understand the many sockets APIs. Critics raised no complaints.
2 people recommended UNIX Network Programming by Stevens in Hacker News comments and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
1 of the 2 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “We "solved" C10K years ago yet we keep reinventing it”.
Summary written by Claude from 2 comments.
2 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 2
- mixed feelings
- 0
- warn against or regret it
- 0
The record
Recommended in 2 of 12 months
In 2 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 2 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 2 threadsNeeds 5 or more, not met.
- The biggest thread supplies 50% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 2 of the 2 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Helps understand the sockets APIs
“I read UNIX Network Programming to help understand all the different sockets APIs and that's paid dividends too”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Nobody cracks open a programming book anymore” Famous, iconic reference for Unix networking
“The internationally famous Unix Network Programming book. An icon, a shibboleth, a cynosure”
Comment from 28 Dec 2025 in “We "solved" C10K years ago yet we keep reinventing it”
Other programming books people recommend
The four most recommended other programming books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crafting Interpretersby Robert Nystrom | 55 | 0 | 4 | 93% | 9 | — | Approved |
| The Pragmatic Programmerby Hunt and Thomas | 25 | 3 | 1 | 96% | 7 | — | — |
| How to Design Programsby Felleisen, Findler, Flatt and Krishnamurthi | 15 | 1 | 2 | 88% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Working Effectively with Legacy Codeby Michael Feathers | 14 | 1 | 1 | 93% | 8 | — | Approved |
| UNIX Network Programmingby StevensThis page | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
Also compared with Mastering Emacs by Mickey Petersen and The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk.
What people said
All 2 opinions about it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I read UNIX Network Programming to help understand all the different sockets APIs and that's paid dividends too”
“The internationally famous Unix Network Programming book. An icon, a shibboleth, a cynosure”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.