Firewall for experienced user (suggestions)

[Napoleon]

Hi Guys,

I've been looking at different firewalls (but by no means all of them) but am not able to find one that suits what I think I need. Here is a list of what I need:

I need:
A firewall that is a firewall (they can keep the kitchen sink) [That is to say, I'm not looking for an Internet Security Suite],
Ability to see a real-time network activity summary and take actions based on what it is showing (like McAfee used to have in their version 4 firewall),
Ability to allow/block 'one time' in addition to the always allow/disallow,
Option to rule match on a filename in addition to filename/MD5 (So I don't have to update all my rules each time I get a Firefox update),
Function to save log-files to disk automatically,
Application Launch control,
Application Hooking control,
Ability to group the rule list by application,
Has an intuitive user-friendly User Interface (I want power but Windows superseded DOS a long time ago).

I'm not necessarily looking for free software, but I will only pay for something I think is good. I have lots of friends who will tell me this one or that one is the best and I should use it... My general opinion is that most companies offering firewalls are dumbing down their software so they can target the mass market.

If someone knows of one that covers ALL of the above, let me know.


Cheers,
Nap

[CodedFire]

I like AVG, although it is a full suite the advanced mode is pretty all encompassing.

[high6]

Zone alarm is good. Although if you don't get the right version you are screwed(It likes to stop a programs connection randomly, making streaming videos from youtube impossible).

I think ZoneAlarm Pro doesn't have that problem.

[CodedFire]

You could always just unplug the phone line, job done.

[alex_read]

For home use I'd recommend Zone Alarm, it doesn't do everything, but at that money it does a damn good job.

For a work system, ISPs can sometimes provide onsite hardware firewalls and manage the settings, or take a look at ISA server by MS.

[Napoleon]

Thnx for the comments guys. Keep them coming as I'm still unsure.

alex read:: I didn't really explain my particular situation. I need a good software firewall for my home/office use as I am self-employed. I've beeen in the IT world for a long time and have a fair understanding of how things work. I have a router which acts as a firewall, and I use the software firewall to manage outgoing traffic. Money is no object as long as it's a reasonable cost and does what I want.

CodedFire:: I use AVG's Anti-virus (Free Version) and it's fairly good. Low resources and doesn't interrupt me when I'm on the computer.
With my current ISP, I sometimes feel I would get higher bandwidth using the old Indian smoke signal thing.


High6, I am familiar with ZoneAlarm, but wasn't as impressed as I think others seem to be. For better or worse, I am a details person. What version would you b recommending? Does it do the things I listed?

Cheers,
Nap