Why can't I simply use the HTTP protocol to download files from GitHub via the command line?

GitHub only supports the HTTPS protocol, so any command-line download method relying on HTTP will fail. As detailed in Penetration Techniques - Multiple Methods for Downloading Files from GitHub, tools like certutil, bitsadmin, and PowerShell work with HTTPS, while others such as some VBScript approaches require switching to objects that support HTTPS, like Msxml2.ServerXMLHTTP.6.0 or WinHttp.WinHttpRequest.5.1.