Ok, I’ll start lightly not to confuse anyone and perhaps try to look more mainstream.
Once upon a time, I was a longtime user of ‘X’* firewall, and I loved it. Of course it was an old version of Windows, so i then used ‘Y’ firewall and it was great, when came Windows version ‘Z’ and it then didn’t work anymore. I then used Firewall ‘alpha’ for a number of years and tried a number of newcomers, including one called Comodo, but they were all still incomplete products a few years ago. Then a still newer Windows OS called ‘beta’ arrived and my new firewall software was no good anymore. Well, in fact it could be, but I would have to part with a large sum of money for it to work as it should.
So, before upgrading to this still newer Windows version I’m trying new firewall options, although I haven’t yet discarded the option of parting with that sum of money as cited before since I haven’t as yet found a better option.
So that’s my story, now let’s talk about Comodo. This is my first impression of it (I’m not considering the first, older experience). Yeah, it’s the largest install file for a firewall ever. I was expecting a lot of ‘gamma’ with it. Yeah, I’ve downloaded and then installed it. Not a lot of options for install that as it should have had. You see, I didn’t uninstall my previous firewall as Comodo starts phoning home, I mean, the other firewall is buzzing so much it’s bothering the hell. Let’s see, uninstall this Geeky thing, it looks useless. Ok, then this Chromethingy has to go. Allright, no, it’s still phoning home a lot.
Now people start asking, why do you want to block software from phoning home legally? You see, I don’t have a lot of Internet bandwidth, and apart from that, why does a software need to verify if it still has a license every five minutes even it that that such license is permanent? You don’t need to accept my explanation though, let’s move on.
First I block Comodo in the other Firewall, what? Ok, let’s start blocking some things using Comodo this time. I just can’t do it. Google is king here, let’s see. Oh yeah, delete every rule is there, because they’re self-cancelling or something. Set alerts to very high. Now I should make a note that there are a lot of menus, and they have a lot of ‘never use’ options, like trust something, ARP, a port list with no apparent use, the list is looong.
I’m a bit disappointed now, because looking at the rules I’ve just deleted, they basically said that everything goes through the firewall. I think it could have an advanced mode, that could be choosen at install time, with different rules, instead of safe and training rule modes, which actually didn’t serve me at all.
Now I’ve made some new rules, but then it’s blocking the Internet. Oh, it’s a bug. You see, if Comodo see a new connection being made, it pops a new alert. If I’m not in front of the computer at the exact moment, the alert goes to limbo, and I’m as lost as when playing old text adventures in the Apple ][. I then restarted the computer. Another alert goes to limbo, and another, and another, I just can’t find where they hide once they disappear. It’s Gruds in Space once again. It takes a lot of my patience.
So as a final note I should say something good, right? This software makes me feel young. It makes me feel as I have never used a firewall before and as a younger self, I’m not giving up. Yet.
- Things between ’ ’ are names and/or numbers you may choose at random or perhaps from the names in The Muppets Show, but it should be polite and politically correct