The network icon usually contains controls for connecting to and disconnecting from networks, which are obviously useful.

> I guess you'd have to have used Windows to miss it then.

I don't understand what you mean by this. For most of the past 30 years, every major OS had something analogous to a system tray. Win, Mac, KDE, Gnome all had icons next to the clock, that gave access to software running in the background or system functions. Virtually all still do, Gnome (apparently?) does not.

I find it deeply implausible you've never seen or interacted with a system tray.