I've been using LW basic for several years on my MacPro and have never employed a firewall.

As far as I know, I've not experienced any sinister effects.

1. How necessary is firewall protection for me, especially if I switch to LW Pro and increase connections? If yes, is the osx firewall sufficient?

2. When I choose to "browse files" of a host, there is a name for the host that appears. What name do I broadcast when someone browses my shared files and is it under my control?

Thanks

Info:
Reasonably experienced user
LW 5.5.10
MacPro 6g ram
Snow Leopard 10.6.4.
FIOS 25/20
Westel 9100Em, Ultraline series 3