Hi sf2000,
Most Linux distros will have some option of enabling a firewall. Most linux firewalls run in a similar way to the windows firewall - only blocking external attacks.
isn't it possible for one of the programmers to implement code that would act as a backdoor in the Linux OS?
Ubuntu is the most popular distro at
Distrowatch, they will not risk the bad publicity if a backdoor is found in their OS.
Also, so many freely available packages are available for Linux, how can you be sure that a particular package wouldn't have any malicious code?
The same way that you would in windows - do some research on a program; see what other people say about it.
And since it is opensource, any curious programmer can take a look at the code and blow the whistle if he/she finds some malicious code. By my reasoning, bad programs won't last long in the linux world.
I like Ubuntu more than Windows because you can customise it a lot
Here is something that may help you. Its called
Automatix. It is meant to help the new ubuntu user customize Breezy Badger (5.10)
But if Linux does have a firewall like ZoneAlarm then I would definitely move to Linux for good
If you do find what you are looking for, please let us know
Cheers