Ridiculous new Firewall

[InvisibleMan]

@bob3160
@DavidR
@Asyn

I think the reason for users beginning to complain about various questionable changes, is because of the situation Avast in general is.

It always was clear (and I myself had opportunity to compare them over the years):

Avast Free Antivirus was always better than Norton's antiviruses, for various reasons.

And users are getting worried over all such changes to the worst, because:

1. Avast is being bought by Norton.

2. The history of Norton's products shows how they got worse and worse over time, plus they became like a bloatware.

My friends actually got rid of Norton because of all those issues and began using Avast in recent years.

But, now we see the worrisome signs of Norton's interference.  An upcoming super-oversimplified Avast One is a proof of that too.

It just looks like Norton didn't like having a competition, that was actually a great antivirus: Avast.
So they bought to bring it down.

It's not the first product in history that Norton bought and ruined afterwards.

Naturally, users see changes in Avast they don't like and feel like it's the beginning of the end.

[InvisibleMan]

Maybe you need to change your forum User Name

Totally agree.

I actually have to agree with that, too.

Because "Mr. Avast" gives the impression of it being someone from the Avast Team. 

[DavidR]

Maybe you need to change your forum User Name

Totally agree.

I actually have to agree with that, too.

Because "Mr. Avast" gives the impression of it being someone from the Avast Team. 

You only have to look to the left of posts to see the user status, only avast employees will have Avast Team next to their posts.

However, some of the Avast Überevangelists will have made Avast Team contacts over the years, they may also have communication channels, to get information and report issues occurring in the forums.

[n33h11]

One thing is clear...Norton will end Avast in no time.

It started by destroying Premium. Whoever paid got it because the guy who was always free and never gave a penny to the company has almost the same functions as a subscriber. So the question remains: why become a payer?

Then they take something that worked and literally screw it up, take a working service and be done with it in a matter of seconds.

If this isn't Norton's rotten hand I don't know what it is anymore... rather Avast was sold to a Chinese company than an American one and had that end.

[InvisibleMan]

the guy who was always free and never gave a penny to the company has almost the same functions as a subscriber. So the question remains: why become a payer?

I could see that work, as way to donate/contribute,
if Avast simply remained a great antivirus it has always been for many years.

Plus, I wouldn't mind at all if all that free users get would be the very basic mimimum protection core:

Web Shield
File Shield

As a free avast user, I never had any need for anything else, and that's very simple actually. (And never got infected after switching to Avast many years ago)

Everyhing else is extraneous, especially for free users. (e.g. since a malicious script in a web mail would be stopped by Web Shield, and a malicious file downloaded from a mail, would be stopped when run by File Shield, why need Mail Shield anyway? Or Behavior Shield that often created more problems with false detections for me than protected me, when I tried it for a while. Etc.)

And if all other things (while remaining optional) would be only available for Premium,
it would both make a lot more sense, and
also would make free users happier, because they wouldn't need to worry whenever some big changes happen to a lot of other components, since they don't use them.

[Flourgrader]

Hi Mr.Avast,
I think there is a very bad work around for what you are complaining about in regards to the firewall.
If you have your notifications set for system tray turned on in Avast.
Then launch a program that you know will access the internet.
A window will open up in the system tray.
If you click on Details. Then the Application Rules window like the one from the previous Avast will open up.
You can keep this minimised on windows toolbar for the duration of your PC turned on.
And use it just like you did with the old version.
I have not managed to find a menu option or key press to bring this up manually from within Avast!
Maybe someone else has?
I wrote a similar thread to yours:
If your interested, you can read it here:
https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=309072.0;topicseen

[InvisibleMan]

@bob3160

I think you meant to quote this reply of mine there instead:
https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=309426.msg1668073#msg1668073

Because you quoted something unrelated to assumptions about Norton at all.

What you quoted was more of a suggestion for Avast Free and about my own exerience with it.

[bob3160]

@bob3160

I think you meant to quote this reply of mine there instead:
https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=309426.msg1668073#msg1668073

Because you quoted something unrelated to assumptions about Norton at all.

What you quoted was more of a suggestion for Avast Free and about my own exerience with it.

My apologies, my reply should not have been to you

[bob3160]

One thing is clear...Norton will end Avast in no time.

It started by destroying Premium. Whoever paid got it because the guy who was always free and never gave a penny to the company has almost the same functions as a subscriber. So the question remains: why become a payer?

Then they take something that worked and literally screw it up, take a working service and be done with it in a matter of seconds.

If this isn't Norton's rotten hand I don't know what it is anymore... rather Avast was sold to a Chinese company than an American one and had that end.

You're spouting your own assumptions. They certainly aren't facts.

[n33h11]

bob3160

"You're spouting your own assumptions. They certainly aren't facts."

The result of this will come in time. Just be a user to realize that what I'm talking about is going to be fact.

Of course they won't show it. They will want to show at all costs that it is a solid solution.

Lets out a first YouTube video showing the new firewall...let a review of this new firewall that you will see...a video comparing security suites for example...

Of course here I'm just a former user...but the internet doesn't forgive. The first video is just out and the facts are exposed...

Just observe...

[n33h11]

the guy who was always free and never gave a penny to the company has almost the same functions as a subscriber. So the question remains: why become a payer?

Plus, I wouldn't mind at all if all that free users get would be the very basic mimimum protection core:

Web Shield
File Shield

I don't mind non-subscriber users being able to have extra functions in their suites. But of course those who paid for something extra have it. It was no problem for me that the firewall became free, but that it became what it became, ridiculous and meaningless.

But even though today there is a version matching, I still see that subscribing users need to have that attention, which didn't happen. Avast took everyone up there and brought them down, not the other way around, they took everyone from down there and took them up.

So the feeling we subscribers have is one of loss. We were not valued. At least I saw myself at this point. I still had 168 days to use the license. But I thought it was better to look for another solution because of the aforementioned firewall and this feeling of loss.

[Mr. Consumer]

Ok guys, I have changed my name to not confuse members into thinking that I work for Avast 
I kept my first name but changed the latter 
But come on, guys! Even if you're a huge fan of Avast, you should at least admit that the new firewall has less feature and much more basic than the previous one. Maybe it fits the model of Avast One which is more like directed to non-tech-savvy average consumers, but we geeky users don't deserve this. But even that is hard to understand because the average user won't touch the firewall anyway, so it's not necessary to dumb it down and remove features. As I and others above said, it doesn't even have one of the basic fundamental feature that literally every software firewall in the world has. So it's nonsense.
Anyway, I'm giving Avast another try since it fits my need the most compared to other products.
Avast is also known to listen to its customers more or less. So, I'm still hoping that they'll revert the change in Firewall.
We required support from guys like @bob3160 @DavidR @Asyn. If you had agreed that the new Firewall is indeed not better but worse than the previous one, then Avast would probably think harder about it.

[Flourgrader]

I agree with that too.

[bob3160]

I agree with that too.

Agree with what?

[miguelgrado]

I think that those who think about the new Firewall are confusing the terms configure and protection.

The new firewall apart from the new interface, has not only the same protection, but more than the previous one with new additional protections.

What if it is that some sections are predetermined and can not be modified, but if add rules, although in 99% of users do not need to modify anything in general of any firewall of any known antivirus.

Maybe that should be modified if necessary, but we must give a margin to improve what is new.

For the rest the criticisms are without clear foundation, because this firewall complies with the same as the previous one, if not more (it is assumed)