I want to see how working with a dock compares to using a panel. I know there is Plank which can be activated through MATE Tweak and it is looking okay, perhaps a bit too simplistic for my taste. What are your experiences with Cairo-Dock and Docky? Which one looks and works best for you and causes the least problems in Ubuntu MATE 16.04? Any tips and tricks to share to make any of these docks look better? Screenshots appreciated! 
You said you want to try a dock instead of a panel, but my favorite dock is the Dock Applet for the MATE Panel!
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How does that look like and how could I activate it?
I don’t have access to my own system to take a screenshot right now, but there are several at the its Github page.
You can add it to your panel by right clicking the panel and choosing Add to Panel…, then search for Dock, choose it and click Add. You can also create a new panel to add or move the dock to if you don’t want the dock on your main panel(s).
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I use Cairo dodk on a few of my desktops it work very well on most but can sometimes be a bit unstable on some systems. If your looking for something simple and easy to use Plank is also a great choice
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I love cairo-dock but if you want something stable and simple, go Plank !!! This is part of default installed soft wares of Ubuntu MATE, just enable it in MATE Tweak and go !
Plank allow you to easely ad stuff such has custom web link by drag and drop. Or even any file or location. As far as i know, cairo-dock does too, but … it can behave sometimes has don’t expect …
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Thanks a lot for all your suggestions. After nearly two weeks I have to say that I prefer Docky and Plank over Cairo-Dock. The latter is much less intuitive to use with lots of unnecessary options and a cluttered settings interface. Plank is clearly the most stable option for Ubuntu MATE.
Does anyone know why Plank was chosen for Ubuntu MATE instead of Docky and what the relationship is between the two projects?
I would also say Docks is the better choice if your lpoking for a dock with options but not overly stocked like Cairo dock. Plank is a good choice also because it’s stable and works well
Ancient thread, I know...but pertinent to my current quest for a very simple dock app with WORKING weather, a digital clock with larger font possible, and little else.
Cairo was recommended here so I tried it & frankly it is too much of a desktop space eater (with a dead weather applet).
I've also tried Plank & Docky...meh.
If there is still one named 'Docks' (as mentioned above) I've not found it.
I was tempted to just install Dclock, but a simple dock with WORKING weather & a digital clock would be better.
Thanks for reading.
For what it's worth, I've been using the Plank dock on my laptop. It has a clock applet (Plank calls them "docklets"). You can put it in the dock by opening the Plank Preferences dialog, selecting the Docklets tab, and dragging and dropping the clock icon onto the dock. By default, it's icon is an animated analog clock, with the hour and minute hand moving in real time. But if you hover the mouse over the icon, it pops up a text tooltip with the day, date, and time. If you right-click the icon, you can select the option for an animated digital clock icon, although IMHO it's a bit ugly because it's squeezed into the space occupied by an icon.
Plank doesn't have a weather docklet. I use the Weather app from the Accessories group in the Brisk menu:
Unfortunately, I can't satisfactorily add that app to the Plank dock. Ordinarily you'd just launch the app from the Brisk menu then right-click it's icon in the dock and select Keep in Dock. But that doesn't work. When I right click on the icon, there is no Keep in Dock option.
Furthermore, I tried pinning the app's launcher to the desktop, and then dragging/dropping it to the dock. That works, kinda, but not very well. First, when you click the icon, it opens the app, but it adds another identical icon to the dock for as long as you have the app open. Second, if you delete the launcher from your desktop, the icon on the dock stops working.
In any case, I wish I had a better solution for you, but it doesn't seem like Plank has the capabilities you desire. As the developer said, "Stupidly simple. Plank is meant to be the simplest dock on the planet." And that's no exaggeration. (But I still like it. 
)
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This may come across as insufficient effort in searching, BUT:
After open searching, then trying out all the suggestions from here - and even looking for extensions to add weather to Vivaldi instead - I've given the weather quest up.
(I can just visit NOAA or Wunderground when I remember to do so...)
For my VISIBLE clock need I'm now using DS Clock via wine & it serves my need quite well.
(I was using Dclock found in Synaptic, but it is not nearly as good.)
DS Clock is nicely customizable - has the ability to use Wav files as chimes, and takes up very little screen real estate.
( https://www.dualitysoft.com/dsclock/index.html )
So...no dock for this old guy after all...phew.
I think you need to ask yourself what you want, in the way of features, from the Dock'ing software.
If all you want is for the "Dock" to hide when not being used, that is a Preference option for each of the individual Panels.
If you're looking for a "Rollodex" feature, then you need to look at the Apps that call themselves Docks.
Yes, I prefer panels over docks any day. And I want them always visible. To each his own, but I have never seen any advantage to a dock. Unless I was fishing and that way I could get my bait further out into the lake!!! (LOL)