socket timeouts

[Nathan Clegg]

Is there any way to set the timeout for a TCP/IP connection? 
Specifically, I'm writing some apps meant to run on the same machine, so
if they can't connect *immediately* (i.e. the server app is not running), I
need to go to plan B.  Any answers or alternate solutions?  I'm also
interested in a similar issue across the internet, but I'm more generous
about timeouts in this circumstance.  Thanks.


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Nathan Clegg
 nathan at islanddata.com