Content Summary : Socket Programming in DelphiSockets were first introduced under Unix. Windows later, much later, followed. Since Windows has no easy multitasking library, a consortium defined a Windows Socket specification which could use the Windows messages for socket scheduling. Third parties offered libraries (Trumpet was one of those). Later Windows included its own WinSock version. And later Windows offered threading, which allows blocking sockets without message notifications. Therefore it is a small wonder that Delphi had to change its VCL components several times to allow networking. To make a long story short: NetManage components were first offered. This component set allows the whole TCP/IP gamut: basic client and server, but also HTTP client, FTP client and server, POP3 reader etc was licensed by Borland but the source never provided many bugs were reported at some time, we heard about John KASTER writing a book about socket programming. I never saw this book (and I believe nobody else did). I seem to remember that he then was hired by Borland, and there were rumors about rewriting the Socket component suite. John KASTER then managed the very useful Borland Community site, and we could watch him proudly grinning at us every time we visited this site. Anyway, he sure had plenty of web programming and administration on his hands. A pitty that the Delphi programs used for this site were not published. But John KASTER also published nice papers available on the community site.