I'm not exactly sure why telnet doesn't work, since you've said all three computers have the command line version (this is correct right?) Edit doesn't work for technical reasons. The whole full screen thing and such.

Telnet has worked for me in the past. Not sure why it doesn't now. I may play around with it a bit.

So do you really have a purpose other than learning? That's just great, but I'd like to know just how to approach your problem. If it's a more practical reason, there may be better solutions. If it's to learn, we can give tips and links to gain knowledge.