Lessthan:

Does this effectivly label the machine as "Beware of Dog" or as "Eat at Joes"...?
bearing in mind that traditional HIDS do their work internally to the machine the ability to detect them without triggering them is severely hampered. In fact, in practical terms, anything that advertized the HIDS would be counter-productive... All you would be doing is telling your attacker which machines to avoid.

So, in terms of your question I would suggest that a HIDS is more akin to the dog that is trained not to bark and to attack you from the rear when you enter the premises....