[viraptor]

> It uses separate "command" and "data" channels

This is not a bad thing in itself. It could enable you to download each file from a different, potentially better endpoint, while talking to the same server for coordination. It's just not the way we do it these days anymore - 3xx and anycast/CDNs solve that one to some extent. And NATs destroyed that idea being usable years ago. It's still fine in protocols like sip.

[anyfoo]

Yes. Just like the text conversion thing, or the non-standardizes file listing thing (not everything was UNIX-ish, VMS was still around), at the time it made sense. Today it's just clunky hindrances, and the protocol has lost its benefits.

[ZWoz]

I would argue, that separate control/data channels makes protocol more secure. You can't sneak commands on data and you don't need worry, how do terminate data transmission and switch back to control mode.