diff --git a/resources/images/notify.png b/resources/images/notify.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1ced8ea8c2
Binary files /dev/null and b/resources/images/notify.png differ
diff --git a/setup/installer/linux/freeze.py b/setup/installer/linux/freeze.py
index 632009a300..2c691e47de 100644
--- a/setup/installer/linux/freeze.py
+++ b/setup/installer/linux/freeze.py
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ class LinuxFreeze(Command):
                     'glib', 'gobject']
 
         packages = ['calibre', 'encodings', 'cherrypy', 'cssutils', 'xdg',
-                    'dateutil', 'dns', 'email']
+                    'dateutil', 'dns', 'email', 'dbus']
 
         includes += ['calibre.gui2.convert.'+x.split('/')[-1].rpartition('.')[0] for x in \
                 glob.glob('src/calibre/gui2/convert/*.py')]
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/notify.py b/src/calibre/gui2/notify.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fe7b3c78a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/notify.py
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+# vim:fileencoding=UTF-8:ts=4:sw=4:sta:et:sts=4:ai
+from __future__ import with_statement
+
+__license__   = 'GPL v3'
+__copyright__ = '2009, Kovid Goyal <kovid@kovidgoyal.net>'
+__docformat__ = 'restructuredtext en'
+
+
+from calibre.constants import islinux
+
+class Notifier(object):
+
+    DEFAULT_TIMEOUT = 5000
+
+    def get_msg_parms(self, timeout, body, summary):
+        if summary is None:
+            summary = 'calibre'
+        if timeout == 0:
+            timeout = self.DEFAULT_TIMEOUT
+        return timeout, body, summary
+
+    def __call__(self, body, summary=None, replaces_id=None, timeout=0):
+        raise NotImplementedError
+
+
+class DBUSNotifier(Notifier):
+
+    ICON = I('notify.png')
+
+    def __init__(self, server, path):
+        self.ok, self.err = True, None
+        try:
+            import dbus
+            self.dbus = dbus
+            self._notify = dbus.SessionBus().get_object(server, path)
+        except Exception, err:
+            self.ok = False
+            self.err = str(err)
+
+
+class KDENotifier(DBUSNotifier):
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        DBUSNotifier.__init__(self, 'org.kde.VisualNotifications',
+                '/VisualNotifications')
+
+    def __call__(self, body, summary=None, replaces_id=None, timeout=0):
+        if replaces_id is None:
+            replaces_id = self.dbus.UInt32()
+        event_id = ''
+        timeout, body, summary = self.get_msg_parms(timeout, body, summary)
+        self._notify.Notify('calibre', replaces_id, event_id, self.ICON, summary, body,
+                self.dbus.Array(signature='s'), self.dbus.Dictionary(signature='sv'),
+                timeout)
+
+class FDONotifier(DBUSNotifier):
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        DBUSNotifier.__init__(self, 'org.freedesktop.Notifications',
+                '/org/freedesktop/Notifications')
+
+    def __call__(self, body, summary=None, replaces_id=None, timeout=0):
+        if replaces_id is None:
+            replaces_id = self.dbus.UInt32()
+        timeout, body, summary = self.get_msg_parms(timeout, body, summary)
+        self._notify.Notify('calibre', replaces_id, self.ICON, summary, body,
+                self.dbus.Array(signature='s'), self.dbus.Dictionary(signature='sv'),
+                timeout)
+
+class QtNotifier(Notifier):
+
+    def __init__(self, systray=None):
+        self.systray = systray
+        self.ok = self.systray is not None and self.systray.supportsMessages()
+
+    def __call__(self, body, summary=None, replaces_id=None, timeout=0):
+        timeout, body, summary = self.get_msg_parms(timeout, body, summary)
+        if self.systray is not None:
+            self.systray.showMessage(summary, body, self.systray.Information,
+                    timeout)
+
+def get_notifier(systray=None):
+    ans = None
+    if islinux:
+        ans = KDENotifier()
+        if not ans.ok:
+            ans = FDONotifier()
+            if not ans.ok:
+                ans = None
+    if ans is None:
+        ans = QtNotifier(systray)
+        if not ans.ok:
+            ans = None
+    return ans
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    n = KDENotifier()
+    n('hello')
+    n = FDONotifier()
+    n('hello')
+    '''
+    from PyQt4.Qt import QApplication, QSystemTrayIcon, QIcon
+    app = QApplication([])
+    ic = QIcon(I('notify.png'))
+    tray = QSystemTrayIcon(ic)
+    tray.setVisible(True)
+    n = QtNotifier(tray)
+    n('hello')
+    '''
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/status.py b/src/calibre/gui2/status.py
index 3b421d1afd..af161db818 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/status.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/status.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ from calibre import fit_image, preferred_encoding, isosx
 from calibre.gui2 import qstring_to_unicode, config
 from calibre.gui2.widgets import IMAGE_EXTENSIONS
 from calibre.gui2.progress_indicator import ProgressIndicator
+from calibre.gui2.notify import get_notifier
 from calibre.ebooks import BOOK_EXTENSIONS
 
 class BookInfoDisplay(QWidget):
@@ -218,6 +219,7 @@ class StatusBar(QStatusBar):
     def __init__(self, jobs_dialog, systray=None):
         QStatusBar.__init__(self)
         self.systray = systray
+        self.notifier = get_notifier(systray)
         self.movie_button = MovieButton(jobs_dialog)
         self.cover_flow_button = CoverFlowButton()
         self.tag_view_button = TagViewButton()
@@ -247,13 +249,13 @@ class StatusBar(QStatusBar):
 
     def showMessage(self, msg, timeout=0):
         ret = QStatusBar.showMessage(self, msg, timeout)
-        if self.systray is not None and not config['disable_tray_notification']:
+        if self.notifier is not None and not config['disable_tray_notification']:
             if isosx and isinstance(msg, unicode):
                 try:
                     msg = msg.encode(preferred_encoding)
                 except UnicodeEncodeError:
                     msg = msg.encode('utf-8')
-            self.systray.showMessage('calibre', msg, self.systray.Information, 10000)
+            self.notifier(msg)
         return ret
 
     def jobs(self):