I carry with the chamber empty, but I don't know ANYONE else who does.
I don't carry empty because I think the sound (chachunk, was it?) will frighten anyone. I carry empty because I only recently got my concealed carry permit, and I'm still afraid I'll sit on the stupid thing and switch the safety off. (Everyone tells me this is dumb, and no, I don't need to hear it again, thank you.) Plus, there's the contingency for someone to grab it and squeeze the trigger, etc... I'm new, and I'm still paranoid. Sue me.
But, at the same time, I don't see the logic/wisdom in believing that you need to have the gun chambered. If a guy is pointing a gun at you, does anyone actually believe they will be able to "quick draw" successfully before the other guy can simply squeeze the trigger? And, if the gun is not pointed at you yet, i.e., you're in your home and hear the badguy downstairs, then why can't you simply go get your gun from the nightstand, rack it, and go to work? Is the "click" of the safety going to give away your position any less than the racking noise? Maybe my safety switch is just really loud...