which linux?

[learning c]

I have not tried bastille, because I don't think that there is really any need for it unless you are running a server.

why no need for secure personal desktop?

There are plenty of software firewalls out there for Linux. Shorewall and Firestarter are the two that come to mind; however, they are all based on iptables. ipchains is an iptables predecessor, that is generally no longer used.

i was surprised to only find a few, but maybe that was only with the default installs, are there any sites that specialise in linux software?

This doesn't make any sense. You can't "crack" a "firewall," unless you're in a [url=http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/07/16Die Hard movie[/url]. It's a mechanism for disallowing certain connections based on patterns and rules.

if a person can find a way through iptables then they have gained access to all linux distros as they all use the same default firewall ... unless iptables is perfect firewall which i doubt.

Would you trust your bank account and personal/work documents on a Windows XP or Vista machine?

only if there was no internet connection.

[learning c]

anyone tried suse yet? it is 3 cds as a base install and i have already used all but 1000MB this month so it would take me 3 nights to download it (as nights are unlimited but i can only get one cd every night)