Firewalls for Dummies

This is one of the poorest "For Dummies" books I have ever read (and I have several). The information, while technically accurate, is often times obtuse and full of geek speek, meaning you don't know what the author is talking about. It is also what we call CIPO (clear if previously understood).

The best chapter in the book, if there is one, talks about configuring Black Ice (my "personal" firewall of choice) and Zone Alarm. But I already knew how to do that, as Black Ice is very easy to install and set up.

If you are a commercial fire wall specialist, most of this material will be redundant to you. And if you are just a home user, then you will not understand much of it, as it is geared towards commercial fire wall installations, and all the heavy jargon that goes with that.

Fire wall technology, like virus technolgy, can only be learned on the job with those company experts like Black Ice or Norton. They are just not going to make this stuff easy for anyone, and no book learning is going to give you much of a clue here, including this book.

Sorry, that's just the way it is. You want to learn all about fire walls? Then go to work for Zone Alarm or Black Ice.

Other Reviews

• "firewalls" misleading ... content is general internet security
• Contains a publishing error
• A decent introduction.
• Good start for industry basics.
• Firewalls for Dummies