We all know that panels have always been crutches. Switchers between tasks, not much more. Autohide, so that they are not in the way when full-screen applications are used. The latest demos of the upcoming Gnome (3.0) and also my most recent install of KDE (4.3.2) finally kind of move away from the need of panels, by zooming in and out (e.g. via compiz), to select another desktop.
In the comments to Gnome 3.0, and also here, one thing is clear: It takes changing applications from a single-click to a click-twice activity: Moving out of the full screen, optimally be an edge-action/mouse gesture; and then clicking to bring up the choser to select another application.
Here, on KDE 4.3.2, however, we are close to what I'd prefer: Replacing the 'home' of a panel by a 'mother' desktop. This can have panels, if one wanted. I'd rather have widgets, for time, load, launchers, the 'desktop' folder as it comes up by default (at least on kubuntu), etc.
Now, the problem is still how to reach it from a full-screen application? Currently I'd have to 'edge' to show all desktops, click on the 'mother desktop', and then click again to navigate from there. Horrible.

In a nutshell: I miss a choice in the edge settings of compiz, which actually activates the 'show desktop' widget. So, if I wanted to switch applications, see time, load, network, desktop folders, etc., I'd simple mouse-gesture/edge, e.g. center right screen, and I'd have the desktop in front of me. From where I could then click a panel, another widget, etc.
Kind of extended 'autohide' of a panel, so to say. But instead of a crutch of a panel popping up, it would simply show the complete desktop.
So I'm not asking anything more than linking an 'edge' function to a widget. Is this possible?

Uwe

I'm not sure I got you right, but can't you use the dashboard for this? Try Ctrl-F12 to see what it does.

Hans wrote:can't you use the dashboard for this? Try Ctrl-F12 to see what it does.

Ah, you get the hang of it. But no, not quite. There is a bunch of alternatives what I imagine.
Firstly, dashboard with all its layers, to me it looks horribly cluttered. Secondly, I don't necessarily go back to the original desktop. And even if, the dashboard would only really be good if clicking on an empty space of the desktop (within dashboard) brought me back to where I started from. Or showing the underlying desktop for a limited time, during gesturing, rendering it to a real one-action activity. Like 2 seconds of displaying time, load, whatnot, back to previous panel. Like wanting to see the time or load, ->dashboard, click next to clock, back. Or circling the mouse through that edge, I see what I was interested in, done. Now I need the edge gesture twice. And also then, I don't need to see all the desktop stuff in transparent.

What I was thinking of, rather, a simply edge->show desktop. Then chose or click whatever I like. Then we are closer to the 'auto-hide panel', where I need to gesture for the panel to come up, and then click what I want to do.
But, contrary to a panel, a simple 'view' is currently not possible with dashboard; due to its double-action of dashboard-on - dashboard-off.

Then I tried the Task Manager widget. Fine, but when I click under dashboard, it doesn't change to tasks. So I still have to 'Show Desktop' before I can click it. Hmm.
So as of now, I simulate a part of what I want by assigning an empty, silly, button ('Pause') to 'Show Desktop', and I get pretty much what I want; alas most uncomfortable. Why can we not assign mouse gestures / edges like we can assign keys?