To protect and serve.

Firewalls are problematic.

Apparently we need them to keep our computers safe from harm. But as soon as you have a problem with your Internet or any of your software, the first thing tech people do is tell you to shut off your firewalls.

Well in two recent problems with my computer I have shut off my firewall, but, of course, the problems weren't really with the firewall. It was something else. But, when you tell this to the tech people, they seem at a loss for what to do.

I had a software problem last night. I contacted tech services. Of course, you can't reach tech help on the phone anymore. Instead it's a live chat, because we like to make these things as inhuman as possible.

I had a sense of what the problem was, but the tech guy wouldn't listen. Because, in his mind, the problem was the firewall and nothing else.

The tech guy told me to shut off my firewall, my virus scan, etc. But that didn't fix the problem. I told him this.

His answer: "Well, uninstall your firewall and virus scan and see if that solves your problem. If not, call us back."

And I'm like: "That's ridiculous. What's the point of having a firewall and a virus scan if they interfere with having your computer work properly."

Well I was hung up on. But instead of following the guy's advice, I pulled out all the instruction manuals, or, as I like to call them, the "destruction" manuals for my computer and played around with things until I got my computer working again.

And the problem wasn't the firewall.

The firewall is an excuse that tech guys give you that means your problem is too complicated, and they don't want to take the time to help you figure it out.

It's too much hassle.