> the simple task to transfer some files from one Linux box
> to another by direct - nullmodem cable - connection demands
> setting up a whole "network" and using PPP.
>
> Is this really necessary ?

Probaby, but don't the fancy point-and-click distributions
have an easy way of doing this?  Even in BasicLinux it is
not that hard.  Do you want me to tell you how?

> Isn't there a more straightforward way to use the (serial, parallel)
> hardware ports to shovel those bytes from one HD to the other ?

BasicLinux has preconfigured scripts (based on netcat)
to do this.  However, it does require a TCP/IP connection.

> It's so dang simple in DOS

Which DOS are you talking about?  It's not simple in DOS 3.3.
Sure, interlnk/intersvr is simple, but it was not available
in DOS for many years.  Ten years?  Twelve years?

> why must there be a complete 30-years' experience and
> know-hof of "Sys-Admin" to do this under Li/nix ?

I was able to work this out for myself in my first year with
Linux (from the available documentation).  Yes, it required
a week of trial-and-error and *extreme* levels of frustration,
but I got there in the end.  And so will you.  One of the
reasons I produced BasicLinux was to make such things easier
to comprehend.  It includes a skeleton script (netsetup) for
easier configuration of serial/parallel connections.

> I've written a dozen simple utilities, even in interpreter
> Basic, to get those bytes over these standardised ports and
> between completely incompatible boxes - hy the heck must
> there be that incredible "admin" overhead ?]

I don't see what the problem is.  Yes, you need to establish
a TCP/IP connection, but that can be done automatically at
system startup (or on-demand by running a single script).

Cheers,
Steven

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