[Rhodes22-list] Tasteful? Firewalls

[Robert Skinner]

Mark Kaynor wrote:
> ...
> Many firewalls use what's called "tasteful
> packet inspection" to determine whether
> packets can get through the firewall based
> on the protocol, port, and source and
> destination addresses...
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Mark -

Other than the delightful gaffe "stateful",
a good exposition.  Compliments to the cook!

Some observations:

The USR NAT wireless router costs less than $100, and in 
combination with Zone Alarm, Netscape, and some stringent 
user training (I beat my wife regularly) has kept us free 
from infection for the last 2 years.

In commercial applications I have used the UNIX-subset-based 
PIX firewall, now complicated by CISCO.  It once cost $9,000 
for a very limited license.

Some questions:

What is the cheapest fully functional firewall appliance
(hardware-software package as opposed to just software)
on the market today that meets your requirements?

Can John/Jane Q. NotComputerLiterateUser set it up and 
operate it?  Can (s)he easily update hardware, firmware, 
and/or software as occasionally required?

If not, how much would it cost to have it set up and serviced?

How say you, Mark?

/Bob Skinner