Online Armor Free

This is my second attempt trying out OA. First time I was trialing the paid version and it completly f****d up my system. This time it didn´t started so well either, but after several attempts I did manage to make it install and work, but then my system started to behave in an odd way. So, either doesn´t OA like my system, or my system doesn´t like OA. Doesn´t matter, I just wanted to test this software that many users here seems to appreciate...

/C.

 

OA is too weak for me- I want the ability to block individual IP addresses as well as a range of IP addresses.

I am going back to Tiny Personal Firewall which works very well with SSM.

 

You can do that in advanced mode. You can block (or allow) IP addresses, ranges or countries on a per rule basis - you can also import blacklists which may be applied against single rules, or globally, at your pleasure.

 

It does matter

If you would like to send me a PM, or whiz over to our forum and join up there I'll be happy to work through this with you. If there are incompatibilities or problems, I want to get 'em worked out. What did your system start doing that was odd?

 

Seems like a server glitch... we had a lot of registrations overnight.. still coming in now. Please check that you downloaded the free version (the one at the bottom of the page) - the free version installer should prompt you to optionally supply an email address if you want updates. There should not be a licence key prompt.

 

Is the advanced mode only available if I purchase it? Is the advanced mode available in the trial version?

Thankyou for the quick response!

 

Advanced mode is available in the trial versions , yes. And it is only available in the paid product (Guy's gotta eat, etc, etc)

 

Mike, I installed the latest release using the new exe you gave us over the previous release, but I didn't see where to add the registration code at the time or see it in the program now anywhere. Does this make sense?

 

Mike- check out the method and form that TPF uses for creating individual network (firewall) rules. Check out their firewall monitor. TPF also allows you to create individual firewall rules on the fly with a right click.

It is so much better than anything on the market even though it is over 3 years old and out of business.

 

We changed the installer so that it optionally requests an email address - you should not need to manage the licence key now.

 

Gotcha and thanks. Also are you going to leave the GUI of the free version as it is with the Paid version extras grayed out? I can certainly understand if you do and for a free product as good as this one I truly don't mind, but it would be nice not to have them. Just being anal I suppose. LOL.

 

Yes, we are. Let me explain why.

Free versions are a hard balance. There is temptation to make sure we collect everyone's email address so we can market to them later, nag screens to remind about the full version, free upgrade offers(after all, we want people to try the free version , love it - and then buy the full version) and so on.

Even which features to include (or not) were difficult decisions. I wanted to exclude a couple of features from the mix but this would have meant that the free firewall would not pass the same leaktests as the paid one. We decided after a fist fight (verbal only!) that the fw performance needed to be the same.

So, rather than have nag screens, popups or junk email - we just leave the features in there but inaccessible. This way, it is possible for you to see what's available in the full version without it being all "in your face, buy me, buy me, buy me!".

We think this is the "least evil" way of doing things - you get a good free product, and we get a very subtle way of showing you that there are more features to be had in the paid for version.


Mike

 

Is the installer in Tall Emu website for OA Free a final release one?

 

Yes, its final in that's the version we have released But as always, we will seek to improve Online Armor over time, including the free version.

The free and full versions are based on the same core engine - so updates to paid (core updates, bugfixes) will always get made to free as well. The only thing will be new features will go into the paid version.

During the installer you have the option to provide your email address to receive updates from us. We haven't set this up just yet, but the intention is to let you know by email when a new version of OAFree is released (in leiu of automatic updates)


Mike

 

No problem at all sir and thanks again for a fine free program.

 

Thanks - any way of showing in your panel that these ports are restricted to the local network in the free version with a different font, background or whatever?

Different topic - your Buy page. Is it https? I don't see it.

 

That is actually a good idea. I'll add that to the TODO list.

Buy page is not https - we do not collect (or store) any credit card details - that part is handled by WorldPay (Royal Bank of Scotland) and is of course secured.

 

Thanks Mike! I thinks it's now okay to install it on a friend's (a noob) computer. It's the 'prerelease' that's holding me off from doing that last week, though I installed it on mine.

 

Great decisions on all counts. Thanks for a fine free product.
Rob

 

I couldn't agree more. But I would add that it's indeed a very excellent free product! Big thanks to Mike, his team and all of Tall Emu. This is a very generous contribution to internet security world.

 

I totally agree with this. You have the right to attract customers by giving a free version. This is the best way to attract people by showing greyed out functions, rather than nagging them with popup alerts and fake discount messages.

 

Yes, Tiny is a phenomenal firewall and too bad CA bought it and butchered it. No further support for it influenced my decision not to purchase it. For the most part, comparing Tiny to other software firewalls is like comparing apples to oranges, so it is unfair to expect Mike to "check out" Tiny in hopes he will rehash OA to function like another product. OA in its present state is a fine product and obviously gets tremendous support.

 

Thanks for that As much as I would like to, I don't have the time to install every firewall or security app and get to play with it intimately. Having said that, if there are features you would like to see in OA, then you can pop suggestions over at our forum... we do read them all and take them into account in our next steps.

The way we do things at Tall Emu with Online Armor is to decide overall the direction we're heading in and the way things should work... we then unleash this in our beta forums for participation. You'd be suprised how many of my hair brained ideas get shot down that way... or how many good ideas get implemented as a result.. The people who use the software every day in different ways really help to improve OA.... so, if you would like to help - you're welcome to participate!
A lot of the details in OA are very much user-demand driven

 

Quick question. I see on the website there is no Import/Export Settings however it seems as I was told in this thread you can right click under Firewall and see there is an Import/Export option. Is this the same thing?

 

That was an error on our part... the free version does not have rules import/export at all. It snuck in there inadvertently, but that has been corrected.