Ryan’s I like Unicorn because it’s Unix appears to have started a mini-meme of folks writing simple forking network servers in their language of choice. I’m really enjoying reading ’em – they’re a sort of Rosetta Stone of network code – so I’m going to keep a running list of links here. Tell me about any I’ve missed (via email, comments, or twitter) and I’ll add ’em to the list.

• Ruby: I like Unicorn because it’s Unix (Ryan’s original version).
• Python: Python is Unix (my original Python version).
• Python: Jeff Zellman’s improved Python version.
• Python: my more Pythonic version (using SocketServer).
• Perl: Perl is Unix (by Aristotle Pagaltzis).
• C: Unix is C (Paul Smith brings it full circle).
• PHP version by Russell Beattie.
• Haskell version by jinjing.

Ryan Tomayko’s I like Unicorn because it’s Unix should be required reading for anyone doing anything involving networks or unixes these days. Like Ryan, I share a deep appreciation for the dark art of Unix system calls, and like Ryan I’m a bit dismayed to see them relegated to the dusty corners of our shiny dynamic languages.

So I read I like Unicorn because it’s Unix with glee; it’s perhaps the cleanest, clearest explanation of how preforking socket servers work, and I enjoyed seeing Ruby’s twist on the old standard.