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!
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
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 …
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