Should I use a firewall program in addition to Avast! Free 6.0.1?

[bob3160]

Dieselman,
Your job here is to help others or seek help if you need it.
It isn't to insult others peoples judgement or choices.
Zone Alarm if used properly works very well with avast as do the others you mentioned.

[Dieselman]

Its called advice. Go over to Matousec and see for your self. Better yet try for yourself. I have plenty of times. ZA Pro is good but ZA Free is junk.


http://www.matousec.com/projects/proactive-security-challenge/results.php

[doktornotor]

Its called advice. Go over to Matousec and see for your self. Better yet try for yourself.

Thanks but no thanks. Matousec is not testing firewall functionality at all, he is testing HIPS. Also the ethics of this operation are highly questionable.

[Dieselman]

So then download the CLT test for yourself. Its that easy. There are plenty of FREE choices which provide better protection then ZA Free. Lets keep the members in secure and up to date. Telling someone that ZA Free is a a good free firewall is misleading.

[doktornotor]

So then download the CLT test for yourself.

Why should I do it? These leak tests are useless.

[Dieselman]

It proves a point. Explain to me how its useless? OutPost,PC Tools,Comodo and Online Armor all pass this test. ZA Free fails it. So how is it useless? 

The only thing is that ZA Free lacks HIPS. But it also lacks OS integration. ZA Pro has that.

[doktornotor]

The only thing is that ZA Free lacks HIPS.

May I remind you that the OP requested a firewall, not the "flood me with cryptic popup questions every minute" HIPS thing?

Wrt Matousec and similar junky tests: http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/matousec-personal-firewall-tests-analyzed.htm
Wrt leak tests: absolutely useless, firewall needs to be tested with real stuff and not such nonsense where vendors add detections just to "pass" the test.

[Dieselman]

I downloaded ZA Free the other day and disabled Windows firewall. I ran the CLT test and got a 210/340. With Windows 7 firewall on  and ZA Free uninstalled I got a 250/340. So explain how ZA Free is good?

[doktornotor]

Look, dude: the Matousec tests are crap. Go and read the opinion of technically savvy people over there at Wilders Security. Also, it is not about FW testing that much like about trying to earn money. Not to mention complete idiocy such as including Mamutu in their firewall tests and refusing to remove it despite repeated vendor requests (yeah, behaviour blocker does not filter packets) or not testing Online Armor because those morons @ Matousec think that a trademark owes them money.  

Debate over, have wasted enough time with you, sir.  
 
P.S. In your posts hunting quest, kindly use MODIFY instead of double and triple posting.
P.P.S. I am not a ZA fan, in fact I hate the thing, does not matter whether Free or Pro. But saying people that the SW sucks because Matousec says so is just stupid. There.