Firewall usability

Last time I played with firewalls they were still a usability nightmare. Constantly popping up error messages asking you whether or not you would approve giving something access to your system without explaining, in "lay" terms, what the program wanting access was, and what the upsides and risks of allowing it were.

Last night installed the latest version of iolo's System Mechanic Professional on a few of my computers. I was delighted to see that it actually gives you well-explained choices when installing the firewall, right away letting you pick certain systems you know you want to have access with. (It even asks if you are a World of Warcraft player!) And after that, the error messages that do pop up, as it learns you preferences, give you a brief synopsis of what the program is that is trying to access your system, and an idea of the risk of doing so. Much better than what I've seen in the past. Kudos to Iolo.