When the topic of Thunderbird speaking too much came up, someone was wondering about whether it would do that if the Thunderbird window did not have focus. I can attest to the fact that if Thunderbird does not have focus, it will still tell you when messages are being downloaded. This is with the status bar not checked. I have no idea if that eventuality is covered by what has been talked about regarding the area role. I’m just putting it here in case it’s important, and if not, if it’s already been covered, I’m sorry.