Firewall Settings

I am a Mac convert from PC User. Basic Question: I need recommendations for settings to make for Firewall security options. Are there any recommendations out there or suggestions as to what setting preferences should be used?

If you're talking about the firewall built into the Mac OS. Rule of thumb pretty much is. When you're at home with a router that already has a builtin firewall (and hopefully protected with a good password)…you do not need to turn the Apple OS firewall on. But if you are "out in the world" (mobile computing)…then it is a good idea to turn it on.

- Nick

thanks, mostly at the house, but perhaps once a month, am out. Think I will leave it off. I appreciate the advice...

Good deal.

- Nick

I have never recommended turning the software firewall on *unless you are connected to a network that you know doesn't have a hardware one,* which the probability of encountering one is nearly zero in the developed world, and maybe one-in-a-hundred-thousand elsewhere. This is one of those things that was important 20 years ago, like making sure your dial-up file transfers used zmodem as it was more reliable than xmodem, but has long since become a non-issue.

These days, you'll never encounter a hotspot -- public or private -- that doesn't have a superior hardware firewall. I also find that people have the most BIZARRE ideas about what a firewall is and what it does, thinking it more a "magic shield" than anything. Bottom line: software firewall is about as frequently needed as going into the terminal is for the typical user, and turning it on can sometimes cause issues, so broadly speaking don't bother.