This example shows how to get the local machine s IP addresses.

Yes, \"addresses,\" plural. You can count on seeing at least two

addresses on most machines: one for the loopback interface (127.0.0.1)

and at least one for an external network interface. It is not at all

uncommon for a single machine to have multiple network interfaces:

a PC on a LAN with a modem connected to the Internet, for instance.

The loopback interface lets two programs running on a single machine

talk to each other without involving hardware drivers.