WinSock is MicroSoft's version of BerkeleySockets.

''Actually MSFT did not come up with Winsock, it was spec'd and implemented back in 1993 independently of MSFT by Mark Towfiq (then of Microdyne) and a number of other smart folks from various vendors who wanted TCP/IP to work on winDOS but didn't have a common interface for socket programming.  They did have help from and work with a number of folks in MSFT, though. Remember, at that time MSFT had not even begun to care about the Internet.  Do the names Gupta, Spry, FTP Software, Beame & Whiteside, NetManage and Wollongong ring any bells? (http://www.sockets.com/winsock.htm)''
-- StevenNewton

Also the API is not compatible with BerkeleySockets, although there were 100% compatible sockets implementations available when the API was drawn up.

''Just enough incompatibility to be annoying; not enough for a compatible implementation to succeed instead.''
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CategoryMicrosoft