Simon Willison's Weblog: networking

Beej's Guide to Networking Concepts

2024-01-30T22:08:56+00:00

Beej's Guide to Network Programming is a legendary tutorial on network programming in C, continually authored and updated by Brian "Beej" Hall since 1995.

This is NOT that. Beej's Guide to Networking Concepts is brand new - started in March 2023 - and illustrates a whole bunch of networking concepts using Python instead of C.

From the forward:

Is it Beej’s Guide to Network Programming in Python? Well, kinda, actually. The C book is more about how C’s (well, Unix’s) network API works. And this book is more about the concepts underlying it, using Python as a vehicle.

Via lobste.rs

Tags: c, networking, python

ifconfig.co

2021-03-30T19:53:53+00:00

ifconfig.co

I really like this: “curl ifconfig.co” gives you your IP address as plain text, “curl ifconfig.co/city” tells you your city according to MaxMind GeoLite2, “curl ifconfig.co/json” gives you all sorts of useful extra data. Suggested rate limit is one per minute, but the code is open source Go that you can run yourself.

Via Hacker News

Tags: curl, ip, networking

Wireless access points or mesh networking?

2017-01-05T22:00:00+00:00

My answer to Wireless access points or mesh networking? on Ask MetaFilter

I recently acquired the Netgear Orbi based on this recommendation in the wirecutter and it provides excellent fast wifi across our whole apartment where our previous non-mesh router failed to do so (tested using fast.com)

It has parental controls via the Netgear Genie app but I have no idea if they are any good.

Tags: ask-metafilter, networking, wifi, resolved, speed, parentalcontrols

What are some good designs for a personal business card for professional networking?

2014-01-26T18:57:00+00:00

My answer to What are some good designs for a personal business card for professional networking? on Quora

Two things I think are absolutely worth including:

A photograph. People collect a LOT of cards at big networking events - if you have a recognisable photograph somewhere on your card it really helps people remember who you are, and follow up with you later if they had a great conversation with you in person.
Space for notes. I always get non-glossy cards so that regular pens can write on them. This lets people (or you) jot down a note to remind them of anything they were going to follow up with you later.

Tags: networking, quora

What is the best way one can expand his or her professional network?

2014-01-26T14:47:00+00:00

My answer to What is the best way one can expand his or her professional network? on Quora

Go to events - local meetups, conferences, tradeshows... there's no better way of expanding your professional network than to attend events and build in-person relationships with people.

Tags: facebook, linkedin, networking, social-networks, web-development, quora, india

Why was LinkedIn Events shut down? Why isn't there now a social network for business events?

2014-01-13T12:50:00+00:00

My answer to Why was LinkedIn Events shut down? Why isn't there now a social network for business events? on Quora

Our site Lanyrd offers LinkedIn signin and works as a social network for business and professional events. You can read more about our LinkedIn integration here: Use Lanyrd and LinkedIn to get more out of professional events and conferences

Tags: business, events, linkedin, networking, social-media, social-networks, quora

How do I network with speakers at events?

2013-12-06T11:31:00+00:00

My answer to How do I network with speakers at events? on Quora

I've spoken at loads of conferences, and I can tell you that speakers WANT you to approach them. They're definitely interested in talking to you - that's one of the main reasons they speak.

Good speakers will hang around for the rest of the conference, and head to the after-party / bar afterwards. The initial rush of people after their talk almost always subsides within 20 minutes, so you should be able to talk to them later on without needing to queue.

There are a few exceptions: VCs might not be too keen on having everyone at an event pitching their startup - but generally you should expect that most speakers would be happy to talk to you.

Tags: events, networking, quora

What's the best way to reach out to alumni if you're interested in working at their company?

2013-11-23T09:13:00+00:00

My answer to What's the best way to reach out to alumni if you're interested in working at their company? on Quora

Yes, it's fine. Many tech companies have a referral bonus for employees that help them make a good hire, and any alumni you contact will be able to forward your details straight on to the recruiting department.

Just keep it short and to the point: "I found you in the XXX alumni directory, and I'm interested in finding out more about job openings at your company". Include your CV and see what happens.

Tags: email, jobs, networking, quora

Why is it important to expand/upgrade my professional network?

2013-10-24T17:06:00+00:00

My answer to Why is it important to expand/upgrade my professional network? on Quora

There are plenty of reasons, but the most obvious is for finding a better job. Next time you are job hunting having a high quality, wide ranging network can make a huge difference.

You might not find a job directly with one of your contacts, but they are very likely to know someone else who has need of your skills. The more high quality relationships you have, the better the chance someone will hear of something relevant to you.

Some of the best jobs aren't advertised anywhere, and are only filled by word if mouth recommendations. That's where your network comes in.

There are plenty of other benefits (building your skills, hearing about interesting events, making business connections) but the job hunting advantage affects everyone, no matter what your line of work is.

Tags: networking, quora

Professional Networking: How can I find on the internet an expert in a given field?

2013-09-03T09:40:00+00:00

My answer to Professional Networking: How can I find on the internet an expert in a given field? on Quora

We launched a speaker directory for Lanyrd recently that might help here - it lists the most prolific speakers for thousands of topics, based on our dataset gathered across many conferences around the world.

We have a tech focus at the moment, so it will give you the best results for tech topics. This also assumes that speaking on a topic is a proxy for being an expert on the topic, which may or may not be true!

Some examples:

You can find other topics by searching on http://lanyrd.com/speakers/

Tags: networking, quora

What's the best way to expand your professional network?

2013-08-05T18:43:00+00:00

My answer to What's the best way to expand your professional network? on Quora

Speak at events, and talk to people afterwards.

(Just going to events is a great way of extending your network, but it can be difficult networking effectively with other attendees. Speaking is an amazing shortcut, since it ensures everyone at the event knows a bit about you and makes it much easier to strike up interesting conversations later on).

Tags: networking, quora

What are some ways to get a job from attending a conference?

2013-03-25T18:28:00+00:00

My answer to What are some ways to get a job from attending a conference? on Quora

Talk to people. Ask if they are hiring - if they aren't, ask if they know anyone at the conference who is hiring. Make sure you have lots of business cards. Get other people's business cards. Follow up afterwards. Connect with people on LinkedIn.

Before the event, figure out who is going from companies you would like to work for. Research those companies in advance, then aim to talk to their representatives at the conference. If you don't know anyone from those companies, ask people you meet at the conference to introduce you.

Tags: conferences, networking, quora, careers

How can you use SlideShare effectively to grow your professional reputation in a specific niche?

2012-08-24T17:43:00+00:00

My answer to How can you use SlideShare effectively to grow your professional reputation in a specific niche? on Quora

"How to integrate SlideShare activities with other social networks"

If you want to increase the visibility of your presentations, one thing you could do is ensure you have an up-to-date speaker profile on our service, Lanyrd. You can list the events you've spoken at and the talks you've given, then attach your SlideShare presentations.

If you do this, your talks will show up in a bunch of places - they'll be linked to from your Lanyrd profile, they'll be featured on the event page and they'll also show up on any topic pages relevant to the talk.

Here's an example: I gave a talk about Comet (a fore-runner to WebSockets) at an event back in 2008. Here's the session page on Lanyrd, with the embedded SlideShare presentation:

http://lanyrd.com/2008/skillswap...

The presentation also shows up as a thumbnail on our page about that event:

http://lanyrd.com/2008/skillswap...

And since it was about "Comet", it shows up in the slider widget at the top of our page about Comet as well:

http://lanyrd.com/topics/comet/

Finally, it's included in my overall speaker profile, along with all of my other talks:

http://lanyrd.com/profile/simonw/

Tags: networking, slideshare, social-networks, quora

Are there any large tech conferences/events in Australia?

2011-10-31T13:53:00+00:00

My answer to Are there any large tech conferences/events in Australia? on Quora

Web Directions South is a big Australian web event - you've just missed it though, it was a couple of weeks ago: http://south11.webdirections.org/ ( http://lanyrd.com/2011/web-direc... on Lanyrd). It's along the lines you describe, although tends to be more developer-focused than business-focused.

We have a list of upcoming conferences in Australia here, most of which are technology related - you might find something interesting in there: http://lanyrd.com/places/australia/

Tags: australia, conferences, networking, startups, sydney, quora, meetups

What are some good ways to promote a "networking event" on the internet ?

2011-05-23T12:10:00+00:00

My answer to What are some good ways to promote a "networking event" on the internet ? on Quora

Add your event to http://lanyrd.com/ and encourage your attendees to mark themselves as attending. That way, anyone who follows them on Twitter and uses Lanyrd will hear about the event, either directly on the site or via email if they've signed up for our email alerts.

Putting your event on Plancast is a good idea for the same reason.

Tags: events, internet, networking, quora

Where can I find a calendar of upcoming tech events in the San Francisco / Bay area?

2010-12-29T11:29:00+00:00

My answer to Where can I find a calendar of upcoming tech events in the San Francisco / Bay area? on Quora

Take a look at http://lanyrd.com/places/san-fra...

Tags: calendars, networking, san-francisco, startups, quora, sanfranciscobayarea

Google and Microsoft Cheat on Slow-Start. Should You?

2010-12-03T19:03:00+00:00

Google and Microsoft Cheat on Slow-Start. Should You?

Fascinating optimisation tricks by some of the big websites, which violate the RFC governing the TCP slow-start algorithm in order to perform better in the common case.

Tags: google, microsoft, networking, performance, recovered

ZeroMQ: Modern and Fast Networking Stack

2010-09-05T19:41:00+00:00

ZeroMQ: Modern and Fast Networking Stack

I get ZeroMQ now. I was having trouble figuring out how it differed from things like RabbitMQ—it turns out it’s an entirely new low-level socket abstraction, designed to make common socket programming tasks like message sending/receiving and publish/subscribe a whole lot easier than dealing with raw BSD sockets.

Tags: io, messaging, networking, sockets, zeromq, recovered

Writing your own traceroute in Python

2010-08-09T12:58:00+00:00

Writing your own traceroute in Python

How to implement traceroute in Python, using the low-level socket module.

Tags: networking, python, recovered, socket, traceroute

Justniffer

2009-09-25T22:12:51+00:00

Justniffer

Packet sniffing tool that can output sniffed HTTP traffic formatted the same way as an Apache access_log file.

Tags: apache, justniffer, logging, networking, packetsniffing

Imminent Death of the Net Predicted

2009-03-05T09:50:12+00:00

Imminent Death of the Net Predicted

Well, maybe not, but the way Windows Vista deals with round-robin DNS A records (using a new IPv6 algorithm from RFC3484 backported to IPv4) means that domains that serve up multiple A records to load balance between data centres will find that the IP nearest to the 192.168.* range will get the vast majority of Vista traffic.

Tags: dns, microsoft, networking, vista, windows

IPy

2007-12-24T13:19:20+00:00

IPy

Handy Python module for manipulating IP addresses—use IP(ip_addr).iptype() == ’PUBLIC’ to check that an address isn’t in a private address range.

Tags: ip, ipaddresses, ipy, networking, python, security