There are a few things that I recommend you tweak and tune in your Ubuntu install, based on my recent experience upgrading all of my home PCs from various versions of Fedora core to Ubuntu 6.06.

Install a kernel for your CPU

A tip in one of the Ubuntu forums suggests installing a more specific kernel. For my system, all I had to do was:

$ sudo apt-get install linux-k7-smp

I noticed a significant performance improvement, including a shorter startup time, faster compiles, and snappier windowing.

Note that you need to install the bundled package, not just the kernel (linux-k7-smp, not kernel-image-2.4.27-2-k7-smp). The bundles include much more than just the kernel, resulting in a seemless upgrade. Installing a kernel-only package would break things like non-free drivers (NVidia support, wireless, etc.).

Compviz/GLX

If you have a newer video card you can install the insane eye-candy desktop stuff. The result looks far cooler than OSX, though I can’t say much of it is useful. I was surprised how far Compviz has progressed: it has a full GUI configuration tool, theme manager, and is both fast and stable. I’m running it on a NVidia 6600GS (a mid-range, CAD$175 card), and it goes like stink.

Automatix

The Automatix tool installs all of the non-free pieces needed for a useful system (NVidia drivers, Flash, Mplayer, Java, etc.). The tool is a bit rough around the edges, popping up XTerms and such, but it does the trick.

Apt is your friend

Ubuntu ships with a GUI frontend to apt called Synaptic. It’s a good tool, but isn’t as quick to use as apt itself. A few apt tips:

# install an application
$ apt-get install some-app

# remove an application
$ apt-get remove some-app

# search for applications
$ apt-cache search some-app

# check for newly available packages (does not install them)
$ apt-get update

It’s also worth learning to add new package repositories to your /etc/apt/sources.list, but that’s a topic for another day.

Other notes

There are a few other things I recommend installing/tweaking on a fresh Ubuntu system:

• Install Synergy, which makes it possible to share one keyboard/mouse with two or more PCs running any combination of Mac, Windows, and Linux. It’s like a multi-head system, but with multiple CPUs.
• Set a root password: sudo passwd (and follow the prompts).
• Turn off un-needed daemons. See the System->Administration->Services tool, or install the Boot-up manager from Automatix.
• Turn off your system beep. For some reason, updating to the k7-smp kernel kills the UI tool for turning off the PC speaker (the kernel may not support it).