#1 personal fw at all meanings?

Hi everyone,
It seeems that OP2.5 (lastest rev.) is the best personal f/w for home users to defend internet attack from outsiders and insiders? These are just few of things:

 

Outpost does have its strengths and (in my view) would be best choice for the majority of situations but there are weaknesses with it also:

• poor termation protection from malware (easily corrected using the free version of Process Guard though);
• resource (CPU and memory) utilisation can be high - the latest build reduced memory usage from 25-35MB to 15-20MB in most cases (and it can be lowered further) while Outpost's logging can cause issues with some anti-virus background scanners (see the Outpost forum Resolving High CPU Utilisation Issues with Outpost FAQ for details);
• hardware/driver conflicts - Outpost did have problems with HyperThreading and XP SP2's Data Execution Protection which seem to be largely fixed. There are still occasional reports of problems at the forum though.
• Fast User Switching - Outpost's support of this Windows XP feature is rudimentary at best, only the first user to log in will receive Outpost prompts and can make changes.
• Program Conflicts - Outpost's Open Process Control feature (which blocks network access to any programs that may have been modified) may cause problems with security software like System Safety Monitor or Webroot SpySweeper, see the Known Issues section of Outpost 2.5 - what to expect for details.

Best advice - if possible try a few firewalls first (most have free or trial downloads) before picking one you like. If you don't have the time for this, try checking the online documentation and the support forums for current issues.

 

Definitely not. There are several software firewalls with lesser resource usage than Outpost. Just as examples there is Kerio 2.1.5, and Jetico.
-hojtsy-

 

I don't think there is a single answer to the question. Some users may feel they need extensive sandboxing a la Tiny. Others want a set it and forget it solution for non technical users. Folks with old computers are going to be very sensitive to resource usage. Some insist on having a free solution due to budget constraints. And so on....

 

just 2 things

1. this is THE BEST ADVICE
2. search around the forum for NEW threads [last 2 months] before you start installing the firewalls you download.