I've done a bit of reading on the net and I've read this newsgroup for
a couple of months, but I'm still unclear on the difference between
firewalls (typically ZoneAlarm) and spyware (typically SpyBot). I know
that each in each category different programs have their merits and
shortcomings, but I'm primarily curious about their generic features
and the extent to which their services differ and/or overlap.

How about popups? How about cookies? How about hidden intrusions into
my OS and applications?

For the record, I use Windows98 and IE6.

Anyone willing to shed some light on this mess*?

T.
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Tony Roder, speaking his mind....