> If anyone is interested in having a more elaborated answer as to why >>2's suggestion is not good, I'll provide it, but there's no need to waste time if there's no demand.
I am downloading the source for netcat as I type this; I enjoy reading source code as means of picking up new techniques and concepts. Like the OP I have no real working knowledge of writing networking applications. So I am certainly interested in hearing why you feel >>2's suggestion is not good.