I understand that a firewall is for security purposes and I also understand that hardware and (software (such as Zone Alarm)) firewalls can be configured to block certain inward or outward traffic by specifying certain IP addresses or protocols such as udp, ftp, tcp, http, smtp and so on. What I don’t understand is how some hardware firewalls (such as one that I have) that are not configurable are capable of determining what is acceptable traffic and what is forbidden traffic. IS IT BECAUSE IT ACCEPTS ALL IN COMING TRAFFIC THAT YOU SOLICIT TO AND REJECTS ALL THE REST.

tymiller48, hi, well, what brand of hardware firewall do you have? By default, it is standard that the protocols and rules are hard-coded into the hardware firewall. That is just the way most hardware firewalls are built; they follow certain industry standards and guidelines. Now if you are talking about HOW companies come up with these rules and protocols, you need to read their white technical papers which you can download from your company's website. Here, for example, try this: http://www.securitymetrics.com/securitymetricsappliance.adp

First, download ZoneAlarm, and get rid of that other crap.
To answer your question...
When a firewall installs, it takes a 'snapshot' of your computer, and determines a few things...
i.e... how you browse the internet, and how you recieve/send mail. It considers that these app's do not need your attention, as they should always be open to the internet. It therefor chooses to give 'frequently used programs' freedom without your intervention. Which makes sense.