This is not my favourite design but when using TCP/IP I belive this to be extra-ordinary: [lib.sockstream] The header <sockstream> defines four class templates and six types that associate stream buffers with sockets and assists reading and writing to and from sockets. In addittion <sockstream> defines three operators that extracts connection-oriented streams from connection-oriented server-streams. Header <sockstream> synopsis namespace sock { template <class charT, class traits= std::char_traits<charT> > class basic_socketbuf; typedef basic_socketbuf<char> socketbuf; typedef basic_socketbuf<wchar_t> wsocketbuf; template <class charT, class traits= std::char_traits<charT> > class basic_isocketstream; typedef basic_isocketstream<char> isocketstream; typedef basic_isocketstream<wchar_t> wisocketstream; template <class charT, class traits= std::char_traits<charT> > class basic_osocketstream; typedef basic_osocketstream<char> osocketstream typedef basic_osocketstream<wchar_t> wosocketstream; template <class charT, class traits= std::char_traits<charT> > class basic_socketstream; typedef basic_socketstream<char> socketstream; typedef basic_socketstream<wchar_t> wsocketstream; template <class charT, class traits> basic_isocketstream& operator >> (basic_isocketstream<charT, traits>& at, basic_isocketstream<charT, traits>& cs); template <class charT, class traits> basic_isocketstream& operator >> (basic_isocketstream<charT, traits>& at, basic_osocketstream<charT, traits>& cs); template <class charT, class traits> basic_isocketstream& operator >> (basic_isocketstream<charT, traits>& at, basic_socketstream<charT, traits>& cs); } Please reply to mailto:nlj@adr.dk [This is a Boost library proposal. - Mod]