GetOutOfBox

Just a few moments ago I was researching ways to set ICS up on my laptops windows xp so I could get my openSUSE box to connect to get the display drivers. Now before I get into this, I'm not a linux fanatic or microsoft hater, I think linux works better but I don't despise microsoft. I just thought this article I turned up seemed a little funny.

"Windows XP Professional and Home Edition come with two great services, Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and Internet Connection Firewall (ICF). ICS and ICF allow a home user to share an always-on connection with security and without buying a license for expensive firewall software. Even a dial-up link can benefit from ICS and ICF, providing network address translation, addressing, and name resolution services for all the computers on your network plus security." Internet Connection Sharing With Windows XP --
By Sharon Crawford, Windows XP Expert Zone Community Columnist

Note the "without buying a license for expensive firewall software." and the ending "plus security". Since when is $20 for firewall software expensive, anyone ever seen a $300 personal firewall (not to mention how hypocritical it is that anyone could think firewall softwares expensive when windows xp pro still cost around $250 US after about 4 years of being on the market. Windows vista ultimate is cheaper then windows xp home!) and how anyone could call the windows firewall secure is bizzare. It's fine behind a NAT router, but for a standard router or dial-up modem, it offers only incoming protection, which will do nothing against most trojans, and most people have no idea how to configure it, so it's only going to be blocking the "most common attack vectors". I just think it's funny how microsoft still refuses to admit the insecurity of their os's.