[Privacyware]

I think that the responses to PaulBB's original post regarding Sygate and DSA have adequately answered the question of whether DSA is a viable replacement for Sygate Firewall Pro. The short answer is yes, but if you require, let's say, advanced firewall configuration features, DSA may not meet all of your requirements and SFP or Privatefirewall would indeed be options worth exploring. DSA was designed as a free desktop defense product for those requiring basic, but solid, firewall functionality but who also desired some proactive features to enhance protection from intrusions or malware where signature-based solutions might not deliver protection adequately.

Another issue that has surfaced within this thread concerns Webroot Software's release this week of Webroot Desktop Firewall 5.5. WDF 5.5 is indeed based on Privatefirewall 6.0 (which will be released in a couple of weeks). It is not a private label version of DSA, however. WDF 5.5 includes all of the features of PF6 (most of which are also in PF5). All DSA functionality is integrated into Privatefirewall 5/6 and WDF 5.5. The key difference between the Privacyware version and Webroot's is very simple - the behavior-based features (DSA) are disabled by default in WDF 5.5 and enabled by default in PF5/6. Both WDF 5.5 and PF6 are Vista compatible. There are a number of other minor differences between the two applications, bit nothing particularly noteworthy.

Another key point worth noting is that PF6 and WDF 5.5 are among the most widely compatible firewall applications on the market. By this I mean that they will cohabitate with a significant number of other personal firewalls and Internet Security Suites. As a general best practice, it is not advisable to run multiple personal firewalls on a computer (as one might validly do in the case of malware scanning software), but if you do (and really enjoy alerts and pop-ups), I suspect (based on extensive testing) that you'll have better luck doing so with WDF 5.5 of PF6 than with other firewall products. PF6 also continues to achieve very good leak test performance. I may be stating the obvious here, but as a general rule of thumb, if you are experimenting with different combinations of desktop firewall products, please make a habit of uninstalling old builds (including for version upgrades) - especially as it concerns any version of the Vista OS. The incompatibility of pre-Vista drivers on Vista machines can product interesting and often painful outcomes.

Thanks for all of the interest and posts regarding DSA and other Privacyware desktop defense products. I'm sorry I can't be more active in this forum, but do try to check in once in a while as my schedule allows. The road to Vista support has been intensive to say the least, but the end result should be worth it. If you are a current Webroot customer, WDF 5.5 delivers comprehensive firewall capabilities and proactive anti-threat defense to their outstanding spyware and virus scanning offerings. Privacyware customers stay tuned for future product release announcements and other news. DSA will continue to be offered free of charge.

Greg Salvato
Privacyware