Comodo Firewall - Help for Users written by Users! Volume 1, 2, 3

[Guest]

[Melih]

great start..

not sure about my full page picture, unless its invisible

how can we teach concepts to users by using concepts they may be familiar with? Also what can we do to use very simple language?

Melih

[panic]

Count me in guys.

Ewen :-)

[kander]

I agree on the simple language point... but something like that is often easier said than done. Personally, the castle metaphor always sounded good to me.

Picture a medieval castle with a moat, drawbridge and guard: The idea is that a firewall begins by restricting all access (the moat) - nothing gets in, unless it goes through a port that is specifically opened (the drawbridge). As it passes through, information is inspected by a guard to check if it matches certain criteria. Questions the guard might ask are like: 'Do you have an appointment (destination port)? Where did you come from (source host)? What's that weird string in your ICMP back-packet? (protocol analysis).

You could expand on that by explaining the castle is divided in various rooms (application's allocated memory), with guards at the hallway making sure that anyone moving from room to room actually has business there (Defense+ COM Interfaces), or that 'people' (processes) in the rooms sometimes want to borrow stuff from other rooms (DLL hooks, or whatever that involves leveraging other apps). Special sections of the OS (registry, etc) can be special rooms such as a treasury, which is extra well-guarded.

Question is how far you should go with this, before the user can no longer relate the metaphor to the things he sees on the screen.

--K

[AOwL]

If you hard working guys also put together a basic usage guide that will be reasonably in size and with screenshots, I can make an instruction video out of it. Not as comprehensive as the book you are putting together, but still something easy with the most important things in it so the user gets going...

[xiuhcoatl]

I think "Comodo Firewall For Dummies" Could be asking for problems.  Perhaps Jeremy has an opinoion on this I would talk to your legal Dept Melih.

How about something like "Comodo Firewal for the averge user (and beyond)"  Other Ideas

I would like to see some other suggestions just to have on the table we do not need to decide yet.

[kander]

Title suggestions, order by seriousness.

Introduction To Comodo Firewall Pro
Comodo Firewall Pro: "The Guide"
Comodo Firewall Pro First-Time User Guide
New Firewall Owner Instruction Booklet
An Important Message For Your Personal Safety
Comodo Firewall Pro - How I learned to stop worrying and love the internet
README.TXT

--K

[xiuhcoatl]

Sound great We will get you something
With snapshots this will turn into a rather large word doc we can break it into chapters
I like the idea of a Wiki but the initial setup for this would have to be by Melih's web guys

We will try to get you something
No timeline yet

OD

If you hard working guys also put together a basic usage guide that will be reasonably in size and with screenshots, I can make an instruction video out of it. Not as comprehensive as the book you are putting together, but still something easy with the most important things in it so the user gets going...

[Melih]

I think "Comodo Firewall For Dummies" Could be asking for problems.  Perhaps Jeremy has an opinoion on this I would talk to your legal Dept Melih.

How about something like "Comodo Firewal for the averge user (and beyond)"  Other Ideas

I would like to see some other suggestions just to have on the table we do not need to decide yet.

I will check, but i don't think so. cos "comodo" is our TM and dummies is a not a TM word etc..
lets continue as is, i will check if its a no go, then we will change.. until then though... lets stick with the name.

thanks
Melih

[Melih]

Also another idea we might utilise is: you know when someone walks out in a department store, the alarms go off, cos they still have the tags.. thats like firewall outbound protection.. Nothing can make a call without alarm bells going off Another concept that users might associate with....


Melih

[Quill]

Looks like kander beat me to it but I'll post this anyway. I'm sure there will be overlap, but maybe we can merge the content along with any additional contributions

Ok, here is an extremely rough TOC to get us started. It is by no means definitive, it needs formatting and content. Please take a look at the individual sections and suggest changes.

Clearly, this is very early days, the book is going to need some serious input from the community, so volunteers would be appreciated, specifically for providing content in specific areas. If you feel you could contribute one of more sections, please submit you name and identify which section(s) you wish to tackle.

Don't forget, this is a 'Dummies' title and as the name implies, it needs to be kept simple with lots of screen shots.

[Little Mac]

Keeping it simple?  Don't go straight for references to DHCP, DLL-injections, COM/OLE Automation attempts, etc.  Average user doesn't know what those mean, and doesn't care.  Only wants it to work.  Look at all the posts complaining about OLE alerts.  Even IP protocols (TCP, UDP, ICMP, etc) are probably a stretch, and don't even think of trying to explain how to secure against ARP.  Realizing that the average computer user is "Ma" and "Pa" who are just trying to do email and download crotchet patterns (just IMO).

Problem may be, average computer user may not be the same as average Comodo user.  Question is , if not, why not?  If not, should it be?  I think that if Comodo wants to secure desktops, they need to be able to reach that group effectively, but that group is going to be a tough nut to crack, IMO. 

You also don't want to sound like a complete numpty, as if you're explaining to a pre-schooler (who probably knows more about it than you anyway, LOL).

I think the use of word illustrations like kander mentioned is good, too.  I don't know if it's this way the world over, but I have found in a lot of places "car" illustrations are well-understood.  Other commonalities, such as the "house" illustration Melih always uses, are good places to look.  If everyone instinctively relates to the illustration, it will help them understand (as long as the two ideas are well-correlated).

LM

[Quill]

Having read through Kanders TOC, I see some good ideas. I think I got a little carried away with the detail in mine, and upon reflection, it may just be duplicating the Help/User Guide that Comodo will produce.

The Tasks/Tools approach, I believe, is a sound one, and should, perhaps, be the basis for moving forward.

I think it's important to place oneself in the position of the reader of the proposed book and ask the question, "what do I need to know to achieve this goal" Clearly knowing where to find a particular widget in the application is important, but that's only half the battle. Bearing this in mind it might be worth considering the following:

1. I want to achieve X?
2. Do I need to change something manually to achieve x, or has it been done automatically by CFP?
3. If I have to do it manually, what effect will it have on my system?
4. where do I find the relevant widgets to achieve x?
5. I've found the relevant widgets, what do I do now?
6. I've done what I believe is correct, now, how do I test it?
7. Did it work, yes/no...

Along with Kander, my TOC has introductory sections regarding related, but not CFP specific information. I believe it's important to incorporate this, as it gives the reader a foundation upon which to build. I don't believe it's necessary to go into graphic detail about TCP/IP, Services, hardware, the Internet, or any other area, but something should be said, as it will make configuration of certain components easier down the road.

As for development of the document, I agree a WiKi would be the most appropriate choice for dealing with multiple contributors. Failing that, however, we should be able to manage, as long as we put in place some sort of version control.

Regarding the language used in the book, whilst I agree it should not devolve into a highly technical treatise, it should also not be written as if the target  audience were composed solely of 5 year old. It is my opinion that, providing we use clear and unambiguous language, along with clear concise pictures, the message will get across. Of course, if a particular topic is of such a nature that it requires an analogy, then we should employ it.

[Quill]

LM Wrote:

I think that if Comodo wants to secure desktops, they need to be able to reach that group effectively, but that group is going to be a tough nut to crack, IMO.

I couldn't agree more. The majority of these people want a complete 'set and forget' solution. Having strange pop-up's appearing out of the blue is most disconcerting and not a little frightening.

I think one area of the book should pay careful attention to the distinct types of Alert the average user may encounter. Within this section there should be pictures of the Alert with descriptions of what they mean and how to deal with it.

I appreciate, that not all situations will be the same, and that it's impossible to cover every eventuality, but some good samples may be enough to make a person think twice before, reaching for the block button and subsequentially loosing Internet connectivity. 

[Quill]

Regarding the language, again, I found this on the 'Dummies' web site. It's freely available for downloading so I don't believe I'm breaking any laws

Anyway, it's the first chapter from the 'Firewalls for Dummies' book.

[xiuhcoatl]

Code:

I checked "for Dummies" is (TM) and (R), however, I will differ to your legal dept.

It' the Combo of words that make it touchy

OD

I will check, but i don't think so. cos "comodo" is our TM and dummies is a not a TM word etc..
lets continue as is, i will check if its a no go, then we will change.. until then though... lets stick with the name.

thanks
Melih

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