1. Getting Started
The first think I did after installing and updating is to set the network proxy for my workplace. The nice thing about Ubuntu is that you set the proxy once (twice if you include Firefox) and that’s it. In Fedora Core 6, I had to set the proxy in at least three areas.
In GNOME (standard Ubuntu GUI),
Click on System > Preferences > Network Proxy
Once you change the proxy there it applies to Ubuntu Update Manager (apt) as well as any other applications that would need to access the Internet, including the CLI
After Applying the proxy, I updated the system.
System > Administration > Update Manager
For some reason, I could retrieve all of the updates except the kernel upgrade through my proxy. I had to get that one at home.
After updating, I applied EasyUbuntu. It is a script that installs a bunch of applications and system settings that make Ubuntu a bit more friendly for former Windows users like me. Read more about it at http://easyubuntu.freecontrib.org/