Index: terminal/terminal-screen.c
===================================================================
--- terminal/terminal-screen.c	(revision 26874)
+++ terminal/terminal-screen.c	(working copy)
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@
   PROP_0,
   PROP_CUSTOM_TITLE,
   PROP_TITLE,
+  PROP_ACTIVITY,
 };
 
 enum
@@ -107,6 +108,8 @@
                                                                  TerminalScreen        *screen);
 static void       terminal_screen_vte_window_title_changed      (VteTerminal           *terminal,
                                                                  TerminalScreen        *screen);
+static void       terminal_screen_vte_window_contents_changed   (VteTerminal           *terminal,
+                                                                 TerminalScreen        *screen);
 static gboolean   terminal_screen_timer_background              (gpointer               user_data);
 static void       terminal_screen_timer_background_destroy      (gpointer               user_data);
 
@@ -138,6 +141,9 @@
 
   guint                background_timer_id;
   guint                launch_idle_id;
+  
+  gboolean             activity;
+  guint                reset_activity_cb;
 };
 
 
@@ -188,6 +194,17 @@
                                                         G_PARAM_READABLE));
 
   /**
+   * TerminalScreen:activity:
+   **/
+  g_object_class_install_property (gobject_class,
+                                   PROP_ACTIVITY,
+                                   g_param_spec_boolean ("activity",
+                                                         "activity",
+                                                         "activity",
+                                                         FALSE,
+                                                         G_PARAM_READWRITE));
+
+  /**
    * TerminalScreen::get-context-menu
    **/
   screen_signals[GET_CONTEXT_MENU] =
@@ -227,6 +244,7 @@
                     "signal::context-menu", G_CALLBACK (terminal_screen_vte_get_context_menu), screen,
                     "signal::selection-changed", G_CALLBACK (terminal_screen_vte_selection_changed), screen,
                     "signal::window-title-changed", G_CALLBACK (terminal_screen_vte_window_title_changed), screen,
+                    "signal::contents-changed", G_CALLBACK (terminal_screen_vte_window_contents_changed), screen,
                     "swapped-signal::size-allocate", G_CALLBACK (terminal_screen_timer_background), screen,
                     "swapped-signal::style-set", G_CALLBACK (terminal_screen_update_colors), screen,
                     NULL);
@@ -340,6 +358,10 @@
       g_value_take_string (value, terminal_screen_get_title (screen));
       break;
 
+    case PROP_ACTIVITY:
+      g_value_set_boolean (value, screen->activity);
+      break;
+
     default:
       G_OBJECT_WARN_INVALID_PROPERTY_ID (object, prop_id, pspec);
       break;
@@ -362,6 +384,10 @@
       terminal_screen_set_custom_title (screen, g_value_get_string (value));
       break;
 
+    case PROP_ACTIVITY:
+      screen->activity = g_value_get_boolean (value);
+      break;
+
     default:
       G_OBJECT_WARN_INVALID_PROPERTY_ID (object, prop_id, pspec);
       break;
@@ -843,8 +869,30 @@
   g_object_notify (G_OBJECT (screen), "title");
 }
 
+static gboolean reset_activity(TerminalScreen *screen)
+{
+  screen->activity = FALSE;
+  screen->reset_activity_cb = 0;
+  g_object_notify (G_OBJECT (screen), "activity");
+  return FALSE;
+}
 
+static void
+terminal_screen_vte_window_contents_changed (VteTerminal    *terminal,
+                                          TerminalScreen *screen)
+{
+  _terminal_return_if_fail (VTE_IS_TERMINAL (terminal));
+  _terminal_return_if_fail (TERMINAL_IS_SCREEN (screen));
 
+  screen->activity = TRUE;
+  g_object_notify (G_OBJECT (screen), "activity");
+  if (screen->reset_activity_cb != 0) {
+    g_source_remove(screen->reset_activity_cb);
+  }
+  screen->reset_activity_cb = g_timeout_add_seconds (2,
+                     (GSourceFunc)reset_activity, screen);
+}
+
 static gboolean
 terminal_screen_timer_background (gpointer user_data)
 {
@@ -1232,8 +1280,6 @@
   return title;
 }
 
-
-
 /**
  * terminal_screen_get_working_directory:
  * @screen      : A #TerminalScreen.
Index: terminal/terminal-tab-header.c
===================================================================
--- terminal/terminal-tab-header.c	(revision 26874)
+++ terminal/terminal-tab-header.c	(working copy)
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
   PROP_0,
   PROP_TAB_POS,
   PROP_TITLE,
+  PROP_ACTIVITY,
 };
 
 enum
@@ -122,6 +123,17 @@
                                                         G_PARAM_READWRITE));
 
   /**
+   * TerminalTabHeader:activity:
+   **/
+  g_object_class_install_property (gobject_class,
+                                   PROP_ACTIVITY,
+                                   g_param_spec_boolean ("activity",
+                                                         "activity",
+                                                         "activity",
+                                                         FALSE,
+                                                         G_PARAM_READWRITE));
+
+  /**
    * TerminalTabHeader::close-tab:
    **/
   header_signals[CLOSE_TAB] =
@@ -237,6 +249,10 @@
       g_object_get_property (G_OBJECT (header->label), "label", value);
       break;
 
+    case PROP_ACTIVITY:
+      g_object_get_property (G_OBJECT (header), "activity", value);
+      break;
+
     default:
       G_OBJECT_WARN_INVALID_PROPERTY_ID (object, prop_id, pspec);
       break;
@@ -254,7 +270,10 @@
   TerminalTabHeader *header = TERMINAL_TAB_HEADER (object);
   GtkPositionType    position;
   const gchar       *title;
-
+  gboolean           act = FALSE;
+  static GdkColor    act_color = { 0x00, 0xafff, 0x0000, 0x0000};
+  
+  
   switch (prop_id)
     {
     case PROP_TAB_POS:
@@ -285,6 +304,12 @@
       gtk_label_set_text (GTK_LABEL (header->label), title);
       break;
 
+    case PROP_ACTIVITY:
+      act = g_value_get_boolean(value);
+      /* strangely, inactive tab are in state ACTIVE */
+      gtk_widget_modify_fg(header->label, GTK_STATE_ACTIVE, act ? &act_color:NULL);
+      break;
+
     default:
       G_OBJECT_WARN_INVALID_PROPERTY_ID (object, prop_id, pspec);
       break;
Index: terminal/terminal-window.c
===================================================================
--- terminal/terminal-window.c	(revision 26874)
+++ terminal/terminal-window.c	(working copy)
@@ -1225,8 +1225,6 @@
     }
 }
 
-
-
 static void
 terminal_window_action_new_tab (GtkAction       *action,
                                 TerminalWindow  *window)
@@ -1697,6 +1695,7 @@
 
   header = terminal_tab_header_new ();
   exo_binding_new (G_OBJECT (screen), "title", G_OBJECT (header), "title");
+  exo_binding_new (G_OBJECT (screen), "activity", G_OBJECT (header), "activity");
   g_signal_connect_swapped (G_OBJECT (header), "close-tab", G_CALLBACK (gtk_widget_destroy), screen);
   g_object_set_data_full (G_OBJECT (header), I_("terminal-window-screen"), g_object_ref (G_OBJECT (screen)), (GDestroyNotify) g_object_unref);
   g_object_set_data_full (G_OBJECT (screen), I_("terminal-tab-header"), g_object_ref (G_OBJECT (header)), (GDestroyNotify) g_object_unref);