Charles M. Kozierok - The TCP/IP Guide: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Internet Protocols Reference

This book is dedicated to my family: my wife, Robyn, and my three sons, Ryan, Matthew, and Evan.

I suppose that it's a clich to dedicate a book to your wife. If so, it's for a very good reason. Who plays a more important role in the life of an author than his or her spouse? Robyn is my partnerthe person who is always there and the one who shares my life in so many ways. The expression about a great woman being behind every good man is true, yet my wife is deserving of recognition for reasons that go far beyond the usual one of being "supportive."

She agreed to take on a regular working position to make it possible for me to spend time on a very long project with an uncertain payoff. She took on most of the tasks of taking our children to school and dealing with their needs, to give me time to write. She also gracefully agreed to "do without" many things that many other wives would not have been too happy about forgoing.

But most of all, she deserves a world of credit for putting up with me. For constantly reassuring me that it was okay that I was spending years on a project that might not be successful. For listening to me talk for countless hours, and for giving her opinions on many portions of my writing, all on a subject that really doesn't interest her. And most important, for encouraging me when I felt this was a waste of time, and even kicking me in the butt when I felt like giving up. Without Robyn, this book simply would not exist. Thanks, R.

My three boys deserve credit for similar reasons, but to a lesser extent. They have had to put up with my constantly sitting at the computer, trying to tune them out so I could concentrate; my too-frequent grouchy moods; and my reluctance to spend time with them when I had work on my plate. I am sure there were many times that they wished I just had a regular "day job."

Ryan, my big boy, has been very patient in waiting for me to finish this project so we can resume several activities that we used to engage in regularly. Matthew, my fun-loving and rambunctious middle son, has also had to deal with me not being able to spend as much time as I would have liked with him. And little Evan has had a father working on a long-term project for his entire life! All three of my boys have been very understanding and provided me with much-needed joy and laughter at times when I needed them most.

I was born in 1966 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and raised in nearby Toronto. I married my wife Robyn in 1990; we now live in southern Vermont with our three sons, Ryan (12), Matthew (9), and Evan (4).

I have had an interest in the field of computers ever since my early years, starting at the age of 14 when I received my first computer, an Apple ][, a gift from my parents. Since that time, I have worked in various computer-related fields in hardware and software. In 1989, I obtained a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. I completed my formal education in 1993 with two master's degrees, in management and in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS), from MIT.

After a brief "conventional" technical career, I created and published The PC Guide, an extensive online reference work on personal computers, and in 1998, I decided to devote myself to my writing projects full time. The TCP/IP Guide was part of a larger networking project that I spent time on earlier this decade. I continue to work in the technical writing and editing field on various projects, for myself and other companies.

You may have noticed something missing here: no impressive listings of credentials. No, I'm not a New York Times best-selling author; I haven't been a professor at a prestigious Ivy League university for a quarter century; neither am I a top executive at a Silicon Valley giant. In some ways, I am a student of technology, just as you are. And my experience over the years has shown me that many of the people who know the most about how technology works have rather limited success in explaining what they know in a way that will allow me to understand it. My interests, and I believe my skills, lie not in being an expert, but in serving as an educator , presenting complex information in a form that is sensible, digestible, and fun to read.

When I'm not workingall too rare these daysI spend time with my family and enjoy the peaceful quiet and natural beauty of the state of Vermont. I am also an avid amateur photographer, with interests particularly in nature and landscapes.