Currently, gnome-panel is permanently in some kind of edit mode, but not a very good one. Middle clicking an applet will (unless that applet handles the middle click) cause it to move. Right clicking it will (unless that applet handles the right click) provide options to remove the applet.

The above bracketed sections also demonstrate the confusion here: it is Really Difficult to figure out how to manipulate panel applets because they are all different in where / how one must click to edit them.

In addition, it is insanely difficult to move panel applets when they have been locked to the panel. If you are moving between two other locked applets, you must unlock them as well as the applet being moved. This, also, is not at all discoverable.

I suggest that gnome-panel nix the above functionality in favour of an Edit mode. This does not need to be fancy (though it could be). The following could happen:
 * Normally there should be no sign at all that panel applets can be edited. we do not need to throw this at users' faces! Applets should not be movable, gnome-panel's right click menu on applets should only have Help and About, if anything.
 * Where there is currently "Add to Panel..." when right clicking on empty space, there could be an option to turn on Edit mode (or "Add to Panel" could be reworded slightly and do both things).
 * For a reasonable implementation, this mode could simply unlock all panel applets, show handles and add the applet-specific context menus (for moving and removing them).
 * For a more sophisticated implementation, a mask could be placed above panel applets so that all mouse button events are handled by gnome-panel for the purpose of manipulating each applet's position and presence on the panel.

As far as I understand it, this should be possible within gnome-panel's existing design and it would improve usability :)

Thanks!