Yes, the software firewall is one of the defense mechanisms of modern versions of Windows. I don't know what point you're driving at. "Regular users" don't care

Yes, the software firewall is one of the defense mechanisms of modern versions of Windows. I don't know what point you're driving at. "Regular users" don't care about any of these power-user arguments. The question is, do Secure Boot and other end-to-end trust mechanisms allow the software and hardware vendors to better ensure that people who don't know what they're doing are protected? This is the model that has been adopted or is being adopted in nearly every other consumer-facing Internet-connected device already. The question of what's good for people who do know what they're doing is an important one but it is a bit beside the point. These security measures have a purpose and it's not just to take control away from the end user. There are some other paths that could be taken, of course, but many of them seem to be starting from the point of willful naivete about the reality of computer security today.