'Menu icon' > 'Options' > 'Options' > 'General' When a new message arrives: Options to show alert, tray icon and sound. eg: You may prefer a tray icon and sound, but not the alert or any combination. click on 'Customise...' button Offers options on what is contained in the message and message duration.

Okay, so that does help some. I hadn't seen the customise so I halved the time it pops up. I'm running gnome so I don't think the tray alert would work, but I might try and see what happens if I select it.

Thanks for the reply.

I have changed the alert time to the minimum, 1.0 seconds, and it still shows the un-dismissable, unmovable, alert message in the same unselectable location, for the time it always shows it.

The ability to select the content which is displayed, is appreciated.

Now, if only:

the location of the alert was selectable or it was at least movable,

and the alert was dismissable,

and the time the alert was shown was selectable, starting at 0.250 seconds, and that selecting any particular time affected the length of time the alert was displayed,

it would be most appreciated.

kkgraham Having an alert for a second seems a very short time to view, read, select or close window especially as you maybe involved in something else at the tme.

If I set the time to one second, then it appears for one second and then fades away from view. Assuming you actually want to see the alert, which of course you can choose otherwise.

If you have an envelope icon appear in the tray, usually bottom right of screen, this will contain the newly arrived email(s). Click on the icon to see the info again, but it will only display for one second if that is what you have chosen. Of course, as previously explained, you do not have to choose to show in the tray.

How to dismiss the envelope icon in the tray. The alert is designed to be an alert until you have ackowledged the arrival of email. After all, you may have been away from the computer, so you hardly want an alert to disappear before you get back. That would defeat the purpose of an alert. Hence why it can be usuful to use the tray for alerts.

In Thunderbird, click on the Inbox which contains the newly arrived email. This will remove the envelope icon from the tray, thus dismissing e,ail alerts.

However, if you are talking about Event alerts then that is an entirely different question and a new question should be created.

Can I change where they appear on screen? If you have selected for the alert to appear, or selected for alert to be on tray, then this is associated with your Task Bar. The 'tray' is usually on the right side and contains eg: time. Instructions may vary depending upon your OS, but you can choose what is displayed on your Task Bar and you can also move the TaskBar. By default it is at the bottom of the screen, but you could position it at the top, But this has nothing to do with Thunderbird and is beyond the scope of the question.