[CLUE-Tech] LinkSys vs. spare PC

[Roger Frank]

At MicroCenter they sell a box for about $100 that seems to
do everything that my spare PC with ClarkConnect does:
firewall, masquerading, etc.  I host www.linuxclassroom.org
on the PC in my basement and I thought I couldn't do that
behind an off-the shelf firewall.  But I installed a LinkSys
box between my brother's DSL and his two computers
and I discovered that I could have specific ports go through
to specific PCs on the inside network, so I could 

So my questions are these: is a PC with a Linux-based firewall
any better or any worse that a commercial product such as
the LinkSys?  Is there anything that would make me choose 
one over the other?  Does the commercial box do everything
that the Linux PC does, and do it properly?

---
Roger Frank