The following article from http://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.