http://www.gnome.org/softwaremap/list/form_cat/271 lists some nice gnome-panel applets. I believe that including the best applets in the Mandrake distribution would make Gnome even more usable.
My favourites are the file menu applet and the quick-lounge-applet (the only way to have small Icons on a vertical panel; not yet listed in above url, http://quick-lounge.sourceforge.net/).
Regards, Helge
