I always have claws-mail open so having the empty icon showing just clutters the notification area. It would be nice if the icon only shows when there is new mail (alternativley a configuration option for this would be ok). For more on this topic see "there is no tray-icon in gnome": http://ploum.net/post/219-the-aristocratic-desktop-part-3-there-s-no-tray-icon-in-gnome
Seems like a good idea as an option, indeed.
I'm not against it but I wouldn't use it myself for sure. The notification icon is also to me an indicator the software is running and plus hiding it would also hide the context menu which I find it very useful when I'm working on a different workspace and I want to do something.
Indeed it would be I good idea, but only as and option. I tend to use it together with close|quit_to_tray I if the icon disappeared when there are no new mail the hole idea behind close|quit_to_tray is gone.
Agreed on that, but as an option only. I see other application proposing the same (disappear from tray when no event is available), and often as an option, which makes sense to me.
Trayicon is deprecated, moving to Notification.