W. Richard Stevens facts for kids

William Richard (Rich) Stevens (born February 5, 1951 – died September 1, 1999) was an American author. He wrote many important books about computers, especially about Unix and TCP/IP. These are like the main systems and rules that help computers talk to each other and make the internet work!

About Rich Stevens

Rich Stevens was born in 1951 in a place called Luanshya, which was then Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). His father worked in the copper industry there. His family moved around a lot, living in places like Salt Lake City, Utah, and even South Africa.

He went to Fishburne Military School in Virginia. Later, he studied aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan. This field is all about designing and building aircraft and spacecraft. He also earned two more degrees in systems engineering from the University of Arizona. Systems engineering is about how to design and manage complex projects.

From 1975 to 1982, Rich worked as a computer programmer at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, Arizona. This observatory uses telescopes to study space. After that, he worked as a Vice President of Computing Services in Connecticut.

In 1990, Rich moved back to Tucson. He then focused on being an author and a consultant. A consultant is someone who gives expert advice to companies. He also loved flying planes and even taught people how to fly in the 1970s!

Rich Stevens passed away in 1999 when he was 48 years old. In 2000, he received a special award called the USENIX Lifetime Achievement Award. This award was given to him after he passed away, to honor his amazing work and contributions to computer science.

His Famous Books

Rich Stevens wrote many books that helped people learn how to program computers and understand how computer networks work. His books were very important for students and professionals in the computer world. Here are some of his well-known books:

• 1990 – UNIX Network Programming – ISBN: 0-13-949876-1
• 1992 – Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment – ISBN: 0-201-56317-7
• 1994 – TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols – ISBN: 0-201-63346-9
• 1995 – TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 2: The Implementation (with Gary R. Wright) – ISBN: 0-201-63354-X
• 1996 – TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 3: TCP for Transactions, HTTP, NNTP, and the UNIX Domain Protocols – ISBN: 0-201-63495-3
• 1998 – UNIX Network Programming, Volume 1, Second Edition: Networking APIs: Sockets and XTI – ISBN: 0-13-490012-X
• 1999 – UNIX Network Programming, Volume 2, Second Edition: Interprocess Communications – ISBN: 0-13-081081-9
• 2003 – UNIX Network Programming Volume 1, Third Edition: The Sockets Networking API – ISBN: 0-13-141155-1 (with Bill Fenner, and Andrew M. Rudoff)
• 2005 – Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment, Second Edition – ISBN: 0-321-52594-9 (with Stephen A. Rago)
• 2011 – TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols (2nd Edition) – ISBN: 0-321-33631-3 (with Kevin R. Fall)
• 2013 – Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment, Third Edition – ISBN: 0-321-63773-9 (with Stephen A. Rago)

Internet Documents (RFCs)

Rich Stevens also helped write several important documents called Request for Comments (RFCs). These documents are like official notes and guidelines for how the internet works. They are published by the Internet Engineering Task Force, which is a group that helps make sure the internet runs smoothly.

His RFCs included updates for how computers connect to the internet using a system called Berkeley sockets for IPv6. IPv6 is the newest version of internet addresses. He also helped create a standard way to control how much data is sent over the internet to prevent it from getting too crowded. This is called "congestion control" for TCP sessions.

• Stevens, W. R., and Thomas, M. 1998. "Advanced Sockets API for IPv6," RFC 2292
• Gilligan, R. E., Thomson, S., Bound, J., and Stevens, W. R. 1999. "Basic Socket Interface Extensions for IPv6," RFC 2553
• Allman, M., Paxson, V., Stevens, W. R. 1999. "TCP Congestion Control," RFC 2581