Comment 23 for bug 449260

In Lucid beta the coloured icon is definitively an improvement, but I still miss messages unless I make Empathy use its own notification area icon (which blinks). A few months ago I was told the Indication Applet wasn't supposed to inform me directly of new messages; I should look at it actively, rather than be informed passively — that is, see a blinking icon in the corner of my eye. I'm glad I am not alone in having some doubts about this ban on the blinking icon.

A practical example of the non-blinking icon not working is a situation where the user is working on a computer in a bright environment. A text editor or websites in the browser tend to use contrasting colours, and the eyes focus on that area of the screen. The Indicator Applet by design resides in the corner of my screen, and I don't really look at it actively unless I need to check the status of something (networking, keyboard layout, volume, time). If someone messages me whilst I'm not looking at the screen, I miss the notification popup and overlook the changed icon in the Indicator Applet.