XChat integration with Unity

there is a way to add xchat icon in the Unity top panel, so when you hit X it minimizes there. By default it will disappear and you will not be able to activate it.

Solution:
Launch "dconf-editor" , navigate to desktop.unity.panel in tree edit "systray-whitelist" to put 'xchat' to list.

you also need integration with Unity : sudo apt-get install xchat-indicator

To have notifications: do right click on channel, menu "Extra Allerts", and select all sub menus ("Beep on message", "Blink Tray Icon", "Blink Task Bar"). You will see blinking messages at icon that you allowed in dconf-editor.

Hint: to rejoin to few channel on startup, you need to join that channel and then in left tree of channels by means of right click add them to Favorite.

Quick Notes application for Ubuntu 12.04 with Unity support

I used gnote for a while - it is good but it lacks a Unity support in Ubuntu 12.04 that is inconvenience.
Googling over internet  .... point to interesting application ZIM (http://zim-wiki.org/)

Just install "sudo apt-get install zim",
launch it and Menu Edit -> Preferences ... tab "Plugin" , enable  plugin "Tray Icon".

video tutorial

Beware of bug that make it slow to open: https://bugs.launchpad.net/zim/+bug/995919
You need to install latest version from ppa:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jaap.karssenberg/zim
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install zim

To launch Zim notes on Ubuntu start-up, in tray, create shell script zim-in-tray.
echo -e '#!/usr/bin/bash\nzim --plugin trayicon' > zim-in-tray
chmod ugo+rx zim-in-tray

Open "Startup Applications" from Dash, create new launch configuration and point to zim-in-tray.