@trom @futureisfoss there are two additional special layouts I could suggest, especially given we are talking about xfce. The first is a purely vertical dock, no top or bottom bar at all. This is used in MX linux.The other is a variant on gnome 3, where there is only a top bar, no dock, and the dock set live instead on the left side of the top panel. Typically the panel is only 24-26 pixels. So it's kinda like the windows view you have, but with a much thinner panel, and at the top.
@tio @futureisfoss @trom this conveys what MX does with a pure vertical panel, and why it can be desirable for vertical space, much like global menus in the panel.
https://www.distroscreens.com/2017/12/mx-linux-170-screenshots.html