Reply 20 of 21, by mbbrutman
So how fast is the direct cable connection? I'm willing to be that any Ethernet setup is going to be far faster.
The second key advantage to FTP is that you can use it across the room or across the entire planet. IP gives you routing. Direct cable connections do not.
When I want to copy files between machines in the same room I might tolerate sneakernet. But for real file transfer, between different types of machines or machines located anywhere within the reach of a network, FTP is what I use. Null modem and laplink are very limited in comparison.