HOWTO: Configure Ubuntu's Unity Launcher
$ sudo apt-get install compizconfig-settings-manager
see the article: http://lildude.co.uk/howto-configure-ubuntus-unity-launcher
unfortunately above tools doesn't work for 11.10, please use below method
refer to link:http://www.addictivetips.com/ubuntu-linux-tips/enabledisable-auto-hide-for-unity-2-d-launcher-in-ubuntu-11-10-tip/
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Since the inception of Ubuntu 11.10, users have had a number of complains regarding the bugs and UI issues. One such problem is the management of the auto hide feature of the Unity Launcher. While it was fairly easy to disable auto hide for the Unity Launcher in Ubuntu 11.04 with the help of Unity 2D-Desktop Settings tweak, it does not work with Ubuntu 11.10. Even the Unity Plugin does not disable the auto-hide feature for Oneiric. In this post we will provide you with instructions to disable the auto hide feature for the Unity Launcher in Ubuntu 11.10.
To begin, install dconf-tool by entering the following commands in Terminal.
sudo apt-get install dconf-tools
Once done, verify Unity 2D option using the following command:
dconf list /com/canonical/unity-2d/launcher/
This will display the following:
“hide-mode
super-key-enable
use-strut”
To disable auto-hide for Unity 2-D Launcher, enter the following commands in Terminal. It must be noted that the launcher may disappear and you might have to reboot your system for the changes to take effect. Once your system is restarted, the Unity Launcher will no longer remain auto hidden.
dconf write /com/canonical/unity-2d/launcher/use-strut true
To re-enable the auto hide feature, enter the following command in the Terminal. You won’t need to restart your system for re-enabling the Unity 2-D Launcher. The auto hide behavior will instantly become functional.
dconf write /com/canonical/unity-2d/launcher/use-strut 0
It is quite unfortunate that users have to perform such manual configurations for altering minor Ubuntu attributes and that no “functional” GUI (Graphical User Interface) based settings have been provided by Canonical to alter the behavior of Unity Launcher and other Ubuntu features. It will be worth the effort if Canonical concentrates more on providing a more stable operating system in the form of Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot rather than working on Precision Pangolin (Ubuntu 12.04).