<s>
WIP	B-Protocol
message	I-Protocol
is	O
a	O
work-in-progress	O
message	O
sent	O
from	O
a	O
computer	O
client	B-Protocol
to	O
a	O
computer	B-Application
server	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WIP	B-Protocol
Message	I-Protocol
Protocol	O
was	O
originally	O
developed	O
to	O
overcome	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
allow	O
computers	O
running	O
disparate	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
to	O
communicate	O
with	O
one	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
implementation	O
was	O
on	O
the	O
Acorn	O
computer	O
running	O
the	O
RISC	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
swiftly	O
followed	O
by	O
a	O
PC	B-Device
implementation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
computer	O
may	O
act	O
as	O
a	O
server	O
,	O
a	O
client	B-Protocol
,	O
or	O
both	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
server	O
configuration	O
a	O
listening	O
socket	B-Protocol
is	O
opened	O
on	O
a	O
specific	O
port	O
(	O
default	O
port	O
is	O
99	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
server	O
waits	O
for	O
connection	O
attempts	O
from	O
its	O
clients	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
client	B-Protocol
connects	O
by	O
opening	O
a	O
socket	B-Protocol
and	O
sending	O
data	O
to	O
the	O
server	O
in	O
the	O
format	O
 [ Header ]  [ Data ] 	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
server	O
will	O
action	O
the	O
message	O
(	O
each	O
message	O
number	O
has	O
a	O
specific	O
meaning	O
to	O
the	O
particular	O
process	O
)	O
and	O
respond	O
with	O
a	O
return	B-Application
code	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
return	B-Application
code	I-Application
is	O
commonly	O
used	O
to	O
designate	O
whether	O
the	O
process	O
is	O
allowed	O
to	O
proceed	O
or	O
not	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Loosely	O
termed	O
a	O
'	O
short	O
 '	O
and	O
a	O
'	O
long	O
 '	O
message	O
format	O
,	O
a	O
short	O
message	O
contains	O
specific	O
information	O
along	O
with	O
18	O
bytes	B-Application
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
custom	O
information	O
,	O
whereas	O
a	O
long	O
message	O
can	O
contain	O
anything	O
that	O
is	O
required	O
and	O
the	O
two	O
applications	O
sending	O
and	O
receiving	O
the	O
data	O
must	O
know	O
what	O
format	O
is	O
being	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
