What I would like to see is not having to rely on panels on the bottom, top, or anywhere. Think NWN1 radia menu's mixed with a panel. Or taking a panel and pulling it start to end to make a donut.

Only, when you hit what ever key/mouse combo you want to activate it, this radial menu will appear, sorta like a donut, and your mouse will be centered over the 'main menu' or to use a windoz term 'start' button. next at about 1 o'clock will be your quick launch bar shaped to follow the curves. than going from top to bottom along the left will be your opened windows list.

After the task list, the time/date applet and after that and up till the 'start' button I think would be the notice area.
May be make the acual donut a black, almost all transparent with neat shadows, it would look really sharp!

I really want to kill the damned panels, and I think something like this would be a close to a first step in no longer being stuck using a 2d desktop environment, to something even more 3d than the 3d cube effects... in my opinion....

I am currently try to develop such menu but don't know where to start. I posted a topic to the ubuntu forums

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=3913244#post3913244

Please go there if you can help me, I wont post current problems/issues here.

** Please keep in mind that I am no artist!! =P