In Windows Vista, when you connect to a network, you can give it a name and icon and, more importantly, specify whether it's a public, unprotected or private connection. I'd have to say this leaves some significant middle-ground. I'd like to see a third option: protected. Granted, I'm pulling this state from my development experience, but I honestly think it's necessary. I will say that I should probably investigate the differences between public and private networks in more detail, but the bottom line is that, on public networks, your computer is locked down a bit more. This means your network access is limited and, I believe, will essentially make you "invisible" to some network resources. Obviousy, any network admins will be able to see you're connected, but their access to your machine will still be locked down pretty tightly -- one of the many things I love about Vista. The private network is almost a no-holds-barred options. Ok, not really that open, since all other security features in Vista are active, but your computer (and all programs currently running) aren't limited to network access, unless otherwise set in some other setting. This also means everyone on the network can see you.
I'd like an option that keeps the computer "invisible" and locks down incoming network access without restricting outgoing communications. Part of the reason I'd like an option in this middle ground is because, as a consultant, I may connect my laptop to a customer's network, but I still want to stay away from anything flying around. I don't want the network to even try to assume control or push content to me. I admit that this doesn't happen often... that I'm aware of; but I like the idea of feeling secure with such an option. Again, I haven't done any research into the differences in public and private networks or the customization of either, so this may not even be a valid request.