I actually prefer the socket write(GET . . . ) and use it all the time. It is the basic http protocol, that is it is what is sent by any browser to make a tcpip socket act using "Http protocol". I do not like to drag along libraries of code for basically simple things

As I recall a http 1.0 server will close the connection automatically after each reply where a http 1.1 server will keep it open. The suffix is to inform the server how to act. A http 1.0 server should always close the connection whereas a http 1.1 server will leave it open unless specifically tolds to act as an http 1.0 server. The wiki writeup on this and other aspects of the http protocol is very good in explaining this.