Why does the dashboard not remember the user's fullscreen preference?

Thanks for raising the question DK. To make it short, there is no technical reason behind it, simply the feature has not been implemented that way.
I suggest you report a bug so that we don't lose track of it: https://bugs.launchpad.net/unity-2d/+filebug

But there is the option in gconf-editor to use netbook, desktop or automatic form factor.
Choosing netbook form factor is meant to make it full-screen all the time but it doesn't work.

Incidentally, could the question poser add a link to a bug report of filed?

Added link to bug as requested.

About the Netbook form factor option:
My notebook was manufactured in late 2008. Should this hardware (which is still quite capable) be forced into a profile based solely on screen resolution? There are other components of the hardware (such as CPU, GPU, RAM quantity, hard drive capacity, power consumption, etc..) that could have been used to better determine what this computer is capable of.

Wasn't 'Netbook' a marketing term designed to create tiers in the existing notebook market? Because of it's marketing roots does it really have a place in this project? What about tablets? They have similar components to a netbook but have very different input requirements. What exactly is the difference between desktop and notebook for that matter? I haven't purchased a desktop in almost a decade. My notebook *is* used on my _desk_top_. Is it due to a lack of dedicated monitor? What if I connect it to an external display? My point is that the terms that we use to classify these devices have and will continue to change as technology progresses. It's pointless to use this terminology because it does not stand the test of time.

We should be looking at actual capabilities of the hardware and not using the marketing class to determine a suitable default profile. That is what will best serve the users.

Hmm, I still think basing the dash size on screen resolution is better than basing it on system capabilities.

As an example:

If I had a netbook at 1024x786 then unity would make the dash full-screen. I plug it into an external TV which is 1920x1080 and the dash would shrink down to the smaller size, reducing mouse/touchpad movements to get from one thing to another.

Of course the best option of all is to simply make the full-screen "button" on the dash persistent so if I click it, the dash is always full-screen from then on unless I click it again.

Basing the Dash size on screen resolution or basing it on system capabilities both seem to be the wrong approach to me.

This 19" widescreen user thinks that the Dash should permanently open at the size the user has set as a personal preference. Personally I agree with DK about wanting it go to full screen as I too am fed up with always having to click on the expand button in the lower right hand corner to force it to full screen.