You are going to find that fsockopen can fall under the same security restrictions as fopen depending on the host.. Examples:
http://www.110mb.com/forum/external-...d-t3690.0.html
http://www.thescripts.com/forum/thread2690.html
http://www.webhostingtalk.com/archiv.../t-501791.html
http://forum.unlimitedmb.com/showthread.php?t=799
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&c...ed&btnG=Search
So, yeah, I suppose your method COULD replace fopen, but the same reason why you would want to, could apply also to your solution.