bottom taskbar. toggle taskbar. "explorer.exe" alternative. task window position. ...

[shula]

2. When I click the shortcut key, I see a taskbar (window with current tasks), so I assume this is "the taskbar". is it
3. Is there a way to put the taskbar on the bottom / top of the screen (same as Windows' default)
4. Is it possible to pin the taskbar permanently to certain position?
   reason: When I press shortcut-key, the taskbar/menu is pop up next to the mouse cursor. Since my screen is small, this window goes beyond the screen edges (i.e. it's partly hidden).
5. can it work without "explorer.exe" ?
   when I killed "explorer.exe" task, the shortcut key was able to work only when the mouse cursor is above /some/ windows. It didn't start when the mouse icon was straight above the desktop, or above certain other apps.

(I was looking for a replacement for Window's taskbar.)

Thank you.