fetch? ftpcopy : wget

Sometimes I am simply amazed at how, from the same box on the same network, mere moments apart from each other, two programs designed to perform the same function can behave so differently.

And this isn't like a "Wow! I can't believe wget did this and ftpcopy didn't!" moment. I've known about their discrepancies for quite some time now, and each has distinct advantages in their own ways.

ftpcopy is good for mirroring. wget can speak HTTP.

And yet just yesterday I had been posed with the common problem of fetching (by any means necessary) certain exact files from any of a number participating remote hosts, and wget failed while ftpcopy succeeded. I don't care how or why. I know I could learn if I took the time to investigate. I don't want to do that right now. It's just unusual how two programs that do the same job can do it so very differently.