What do you think about the firewall?

I can't find a lot of technical info about the Leopard firewall. Not to say that there isn't info out there - the problem is my slow dialup doesn't get around very fast.
I have used a Smoothwall (Linux) firewall for several years, although Debian doesn't need a lot of protection (and I would never let a Windows machine see the 'Net.) I also know that Leopard (aka BSD Unix) doesn't need much either. I just think that the more protection the better.

So, my questions are... Are Mac folks using the built in firewall, an external firewall, or just running barefoot? And what do you think about the Leopard firewall if you are using it?

Anybody?
Konan

I use the standard firewall and haven't had any trouble with it, although I do run it in stealth mode and like to manually set sever connections. Here's Apple's documentation for it:

Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: About the Application Firewall

Leopard's firewall is actually ipfw, and there's a number of options under the skin that you might find handy. For details, do:


...in the terminal.

Also, if you'd like a GUI front-end, check out:

WaterRoof ipfw firewall frontend

I don't personally use it as I am very cautious about what I do and don't do in terms of my activity on the internet. That said, I probably should (I'm not perfect).

You seem to understand the *nix world and I would therefore encourage you to explore the intricacies of the firewall if you are really concerned. I wouldn't usually recommend this but I gather from your original post that you are fairly confident with your *nix skills.