php called from cmd or browser? pros and cons?

hi all, i've recently discovered how you can call a php script from the cmd line on a windows box and the system i'm building needs to do quite a bit of 'maintenance' stuff like watching a directory for activity, ftp-ing, archiving etc. i was wondering if anyone has any opinions on what would be better and why: running a 'perpetual' php script via the cmd line or opening a browser window and running the script through there? any input appreciated, vauneen