You will lose the HTC Sense widgets by switching launchers. If you use launcher pro plus they have some widgets pretty close to the sense ones. And you can use a custom Sense Rom and theme your dock to change the look.
I've got a ways to go- haven't even deodexed yet. I plan on putting in a transparent status bar as well as pulldown notification, and got some sweet status icons on the way, courtesy of a buddy at XDA