note Jonathan I would change the client side <BR><code> #!/usr/local/bin/perl use IO::Socket; # create a tcp connection to the specified host and port $server = IO::Socket::INET->new( Proto => "tcp", PeerAddr => 'localhost', PeerPort => '6969' ), or die "can't connect to server: $!"; print "[Client $0 connected to server]\n"; print $server "READY\n"; while (defined ($this_line = <$server>)) { print STDOUT $this_line; if ($this_line =~ /STOP/i) { last; } } close $server; </code> <BR><BR>connects ok. On the server side I like to run with autoflush on. e.g. adding <code>use FileHandle;</code> and then <code>$server->autoflush(1);</code> after you have opened the socket. I believe <code>select $server;$|=1</code> will do the same thing. <BR<BR><BR> "We are all prompted by the same motives, all deceived by the same fallacies, all animated by hope, obstructed by danger, entangled by desire, and seduced by pleasure." - Samuel Johnson 35554 35554