The following article from howtoforge.com shows how to setup the perfect Linux Desktop using Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon. If you’ve always wanted to use Ubuntu as your desktop OS, then give this article a read and follow along using a Virtual Machine or VMWare Player.
This document describes how to set up an Ubuntu 7.10 “Gutsy Gibbon” desktop. The result is a fast, secure and extendable system that provides all you need for daily work and entertainment. About 23.000 packages are available in the repositories.
This howto is a practical guide without any warranty – it doesn’t cover the theoretical backgrounds. There are many ways to set up such a system – this is the way I chose.