Seven Different Linux/BSD Firewalls Reviewed - Overclock.net

endo · 11-26-07

Quote:

Did you know more than 500 million computers in the United States have been disposed of in the last 10 years?

That’s approximately 2 computers per person! One of the best ways to re-purpose an old computer is to install a Linux or FreeBSD firewall distribution, and use it to run your personal, home office, or small office network is one way to keep “obsolete” technology from ever reaching a landfill.

Help the environment by reusing an old computer as a firewall. It will protect your computer from internet worms, save you time, money and most importantly - improve your internet experience as a whole.

Fact: A wireless router at an electronics store that can cost in excess of $100 is actually slower than any computer made in the last decade. Really! Most routers off the shelf at a store only have a 200MHz processor and 16MB of RAM.

By today’s standards, the 500MHz computer that’s been running quietly in my closet for the past 3 years is beyond obsolete. More than ten generations of processors have come and gone since this computer rolled off the assembly line.

Keep that wallet in your pocket, don’t be a sucker and spend lots of money on a slow, horrifically overpriced home networking product. There’s a good reason why companies like Linksys (a division of Cisco), Netgear and D-Link are worth multi-billions of dollars and continue to climb. Consumer spending on products with home network connections will reach over 17 billion dollars this year.

Here’s the criteria each platform is graded on:

* Installation & Configuration
* SSH
* VPN
* Graphical Interface
o Ease of Use
o Functionality
o Style
* Extensibility (Add-ons, Plugins, etc)
* Speed Testing

Each item in the list is given a value of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest), then averaged to obtain the final score.

read everything here. very interesting stuff.

PROBN4LYFE · 11-26-07

Smoothwall in effect...keep the updated news rollin'!

**Krunk_Kracker** · 11-26-07

Been wanting to try out IPCop myself

The Hundred Gunner · 11-27-07

In response to the first point:

Do you think I'd be able to make anything out of an old, Pentium 1 (prolly 33MHz), 1 or 4MB RAM, 200MB HDD, windows 3.1 computer?

endo · 11-27-07

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Hundred Gunner

In response to the first point:

Do you think I'd be able to make anything out of an old, Pentium 1 (prolly 33MHz), 1 or 4MB RAM, 200MB HDD, windows 3.1 computer?

Quote:

Fact: A wireless router at an electronics store that can cost in excess of $100 is actually slower than any computer made in the last decade. Really! Most routers off the shelf at a store only have a 200MHz processor and 16MB of RAM.

you might be able to but im not sure how good it would be.