Direct Connect between XP and DOS

[lightatdawn]

So I've got this old computer I've hooked up. I've decided that I want to use it for debug output from my DX application. I was thinking of writing a snippet that that sends data through a port to another app running on the DOS machine which will organise and display my data. I have several questions before I begin, however.

1) Which would be the way to go; A Serial or a Parallel port? Thats the only two things both systems have in common. Parallel would be faster, but I've read that XP doesn like to play nicely networking through the a parallel. Can anyone explain that?

2) It would be nice to use the DOS machine as a backup HD for my code. How would one go about hooking an archaic DOS platform with a 32-bit FAT XP one for the purpose of file transfer?

3) Anyone know any good sites where I could get a bit of info about coding an app that would send/recieve on both an XP and a DOS system? If its not possible to connect XP and DOS nicely, then I could just as easily code something along side the debug tool.

Any other random data on this topic or anything even remotly simular would also be appreciated. Any thoughts on anything else cool I should/could do with my two systems would also be welcome.

... This is too much fun...