Comment 11 for bug 115031

@Alexander Sack
>> there is no need to close nm-applet. Really.

To close, perhaps, but there is certainly a need to hide it. On systems with wireless network connections, the icon displays useful, time varying, information (signal strength) and useful functionality (the ability to switch network). Neither is useful to those with a wired connection, in which case the icon displays relatively unuseful, often constant, information (a plug-socket and cable) and the need to switch network is very, very rarely used. Even a wired user does wish to change configuration, this corner case is better served by the user going to System->Preferences->Network than using valuable panel space.

Furthermore, superfluous icons reduce the usability of the panel by making important ones harder to find due to clutter. Also, the option to hide an icon in the notification area is not unheard of, see mail-notification and gnome-do, for example. If necessary, for ease of implementation, this option need not necessarily be exposed in the UI and might merely be available in gconf, since it serves to address a corner case.

As such, I propose a change in status to "Confirmed" since this is demonstrably a valid wishlist bug request.