Lots of good suggestions here. I'll just add a quick one - Ubuntu doesn't enable subpixel smoothing on fonts automatically, and if you're using LCD displays it'

Lots of good suggestions here. I'll just add a quick one - Ubuntu doesn't enable subpixel smoothing on fonts automatically, and if you're using LCD displays it's a nice thing to have. You can find this option in System->Preferences->Appearance, Fonts tab.