As sWORDs stated; why use HTTP if there is a raw TCP implementation available. It will always be faster unless the people who wrote the server side were really bad. HTTP is just a protocol riding on raw TCP.

When a company says it implements Telnet they very rarely mean what they say. "Telnet" implies a specific protocol over port 23. What most implement is raw TCP over port 23.

The use of language in this field has become very poor. "Telnet" is often not "Telnet" but rather raw TCP over a designated port; "RS232" is generally not RS232, but rather serial communications using different voltages, generally using 3 wires but some times more (4 - 7). RS232 is a specification controlled by a document. A ports protocol should not be called RS232 unless it adheres to that document.

That is the advantage of trade marking a term. "Cobol" is a registered trademark and a compiler may not be called a "Cobol Compiler" with out the permission of the trademark owner (US Navy IIRC) who tests the implementation for compliance before granting permission. Don't tell me how bad Cobol is unless you were programming in the '60's.