Development

geany - My code editor of choice

git - My SCM of choice

lamp-server - My dev environment of choice

build-essential - Not worth compiling from source without this

rpm build - yes I build RPMs on my Ubuntu Installs from time to time.

MySQL Workbench - Love this tool

Productivity

gnome-do

Internets

Google Chrome

Midori

Cisco VPN Client

That's basically the Jist of it.

Media

• VLC

Graphics

• Gimp

• Shutter (Screenshot tool)

Internet

• Chromium

• Filezilla

• Pino (Twitter client, I don't like Gwibber)

System

• Restricted Extras

• Ubuntu Tweak

• Virtualbox

Development

• Eclipse

KeePassX -- password keeper, use it on every system I touch (KeePass for windows boxes)

CrashPlan ^[1] -- Backups are good. Online + local + offsite backups are better.

Dropbox, Docky, Filezilla, EasyStroke, Deluge, Banshee, Last.fm, Skype, PuTTY, Opera and Caffeine.

Much of my config stuff is stored in dropbox too, so I always drop that in first.

Productivity:

Htop -- Interactive process viewer

GNU Screen or Byobu -- Allows for virtual terminals

AWN (Avant Window Manger) -- My personal choice over Docky/Cairo

Entertainment:

Clementine -- Very nice Music player based off of Amarok

Radio Tray -- The name says it all

Misc:

Burg

That's all I got for now.

What? Nobody's mentioned Guake ^[1]? Unpossible!

Guake is fantastic - it's like a normal terminal, except that you bind a key (such as F12) to show/hide it. It lives at the top of your X display and has the same content across all desktops. With snazzy transparency and configurable key bindings it has changed how I use terminals.

nautilus-open-terminal

Allows you to open a terminal window at any arbitrary point in the filesystem.

sudo aptitude install nautilus-open-terminal

I am completely amazed by Synergy ^[1].

I highly recommend installing that if you have another PC close by.

Media

XBMC ^[1]

Organizes all of my Shows/Movies into an easy to use, very nice looking library. I don't know how I would watch videos now without it.

Systems
Gnome-Do
Ubuntu Tweak (followed by lots of repos and apps I get from it)
restricted extras
Development
Meld
Eclipse
LAMP server
JDK
Internet
Filezilla
Chrome

Internet

Google Chrome
FileZilla
Pidgin
Deluge (Torrent Client)

Development

LAMP
gPHPEdit
Code::Blocks
Eric Phyton

Media

Vlc player
gtk - RecordMyDesktop

Graphics

Gimp

Accessories

Gnome Do
Virtual Box
Screenlets
Wine -> Because some people just don't get it!

I use Remmina to remote control my parents Ubuntu - Remmina has a nice GUI that allows me specify the number of colors, which is important because my parents are in a different country and using more than 256 colors means the performance is terrible. Out of all the remote control clients I tried, Remmina was the only one that put the color option right in my face (didn't have to read a manual).

http://remmina.sourceforge.net/screenshots.shtml

Development: Eclipse, Eclipse CDL (for C++), Python

Entertainment: Ubuntu-Restricted-Extras, VLC, Exaile

Graphics: KToon, Scribus

Business: Zimbra Desktop

Internet: Pidgin

Thunderbird for my email

Pidgin for chat and irc

GnomeDo

Skype

Wine, then Spotify

checkgmail, adobe air, terminator, pinta, multiget, netbeans, smartsvn,

Dropbox; Truecrypt; Zotero (which requires installing Sun Java at the mo); Gnome-Do; Davmail; GIMP.

Unison

For keeping my laptops in sync with my desktop at home over SSH.

Miro (http://www.getmiro.com). I don't think anyone else has mentioned it, but I love it to watch all kinds of media files, subscribe to audio/video podcasts, download torrents and content off YouTube. It's also available for other platforms (Win, Mac) so it's one of those pieces of software that you can suggest to non-Linux users.

I'd also add boxee (boxee.tv), in my opinion the best Media Center software available.
And I like joe (text editor).

Oh, and don't forget the StackApplet ;) (https://launchpad.net/stackapplet/+download)

Pidgin ^[1].

Because it's the best open source multi-service IM client for Linux in my opinion.

I know this doesnt fall under the category of applications persay,

But how about bash functions and aliases,

They always the first thing I set up...

aliases to ssh to servers etc...

A terminal working to my liking is what I need from the off

• Productivity
  • vim-nox - Best editor ever!
  • screen - Keep the terminal open even if you loose connection.
  • syncevolution - contacts+calender syncing
  • inkscape - vector graphics editor
  • gimp - bitmap editor
  • fontforge - font editor
  • dropbox - files in the cloud
  • wireshark - Network analysis tool
  • kismet - Wireless analysis tool
• Entertainment
  • Flash + Flash blocker plug-in
  • mplayer-nox - cli mediaplayer
  • gpodder - podcast downloader
  • ubuntu-restricted-extras - codecs

Here's Mine:

Internet:

• Chrome
• Firefox (Used rarely as a backup)
• Transmission (Easy, simple torrent client)
• Dropbox

Graphics:

• GIMP
• Dia

Development:

• Arduino (For programming microcontrollers)
• MonoDevelop (C# development)
• gedit with the gedit-plugins pack (disabling the file browser pane makes gedit the lightest snappiest text editor I've used yet, the plugins make it great for coding)
• Wireshark (I do some low level network programming stuff)

Misc:

• Calculator
• Dictionary
• Cairo Dock

Note: uTorrent is coming to linux. So far they only have a command line interface but they're working on the GUI. Once it is released with the GUI I'll be switching to that for my torrent needs.

Gotta get Pithos if you're a Pandora Internet Radio lover. Unlimited song skips + GUI with no flash!

Edit:
Should look into F.lux. Articles can explain it better than I can.
http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/07/flux-natural-lighting-for-ubuntu-gets.html

Here is what I use on my Ubuntu Netbook Edition 10.04. Before being able to add/remove applets from the Gnome Panel, you'll need this fix ^[1].

Accessories

DockBarX - to replace the crappy window picker applet that comes with UNE. DockBarX is an amazing window switcher applet which works with the Gnome Panel and AWN, supports themes, window previews and much more (think of the Windows 7 taskbar) (PPA: https://launchpad.net/~dockbar-main/+archive/ppa)

Window Applets - also required to replace the window picker applet, Window Applets allows you to place the minimize, maximize and close buttons wherever you want on the GNOME panel. (PPA: https://launchpad.net/~tsbarnes/+archive/misc/)

Global Menu - for removing the menu from the application windows and placing it on the top panel (window title included) - more screen real-estate. (PPA: https://launchpad.net/~globalmenu-team/+archive/ppa)

GnoMenu - if you want to use a normal menu in the Ubuntu Netbook Edition, I suggest GnoMenu ^[2] with the BlueSmall ^[3] theme - you'll get a tiny menu, perfect for small screens. Alternatively, you can also try Cardapio ^[4].

Internet

Chromium - there's nothing like Chromium on a netbook, amazing speed and also great for gaining a few pixels in screen height. (Install it from the official repositories or for the latest bleeding edge version: https://launchpad.net/~chromium-daily/+archive/ppa)

Office

Zoho Webservice - online office suite that works in your browser (install: sudo apt-get install webservice-office-zoho)

Media

Deadbeef amazing lightweight ye powerful music player (PPA: https://launchpad.net/~alexey-smirnov/+archive/deadbeef)

Gnome Media Player - it can play anything and you can use different engines if you don't like how one is behaving. It supports the VLC, Xine and Gstreamer engines. (PPA: https://launchpad.net/~gnome-media-player-development/+archive/development)

Minitube - Youtube without Flash. (PPA: https://launchpad.net/~nilarimogard/+archive/webupd8)

System tools

There are 2 great tools for getting the most out of the netbook battery life:

Jupiter ^[5] - can be used to switch between maximum and high performance and power saving mode, change the resolution and orientation, enable or disable the bluetooth, touchpad, WiFi and so on. But most importantly it allows your Eeepc netbook to take advantage of SHE (Super Hybrid Engine). (PPA: https://launchpad.net/~webupd8team/+archive/jupiter)

Battery Status ^[6] - shows information about laptop battery state. It comes with a lot of additional features as compared to Gnome Power Manager, so usual icon of GNOME Power Manager can be removed from Notification/Indicator Area. (PPA: https://launchpad.net/~iaz/+archive/battery-status)

Powertop - a must to get even more battery life (install: sudo apt-get install powertop )

Other

Nautilus Elementary can be tweaked to get a lot more screen real-estate and unclutter the default Nautilus. (PPA: https://launchpad.net/~am-monkeyd/+archive/nautilus-elementary-ppa)

Syndaemon - an utility which automatically disables the touchpad while typing. Start it with: syndaemon -i 4 -d (or use "man syndaemon" to see how to tweak it).

NVClock ^[1] (NVClock is a small utility that allows users to overclock NVIDIA based video cards running on the Linux platform)

Chromium/Chrome, GIMP, Python, Subversion, Skype, a Gmail Notifier thinger, VLC, Eclipse...

And compiz config, of course.

I'm missing a few. I still have to get my hands on a few things. And I still have to work on that neverending search to find a good music player. And put together just the right development environment. Ugh, I miss Dreamweaver. And Windows. You know, just for the software--it really is a lame operating system compared to Ubuntu.

Programming:

Bluefish Editor ^[1]

Sure beats the pants off of writing code with a text editor, no matter how many plugins you stack on top of it.

If someone has something better than this, please by all means correct me - I just discovered this today, and can't believe I've been doing HTML/PHP without it.

General Interest
Google Earth ^[1] - They actually make a reasonable binary for Linux.

Interopability
Wine ^[2] - Because some companies just haven't learned yet... (Is wine stock now? It's been a while since I installed Ubuntu from scratch)

Google Chrome, Pidgin, VLC, Eclipse

The rest depends on what I need to do when I install a new version (on one of my computer it's about once every three months, just to test distributions).

• Google Chrome
• Qt Designer
• Bad / Ugly gstreamer plugins
• Gimp
• Wine
• g++
• PowerPad

git, docky, gnome-do, vim-gnome,

and of course

ubuntu-restricted-extras ;)

Foobnix media player! ( www.foobnix.com ^[1]) Because it's the best player :)

Accessories: KeePassX

Graphics: Dia

Internet: Epiphany

Office: Abiword, LyX (remove openoffice)

Multimedia: VLC (remove totem)

Sun Java + Eclipse.

But again, thats for a living.

1. build-essential
2. codelite ^[1]

I love programming ;)

My first install is always the awesome window manager.

Work Rave ^[1] is also helpful to those of us who have typing-related injuries. It helps prevent repetitive strain injuries (eg, carpal tunnel), by forcing the user to take short breaks every now and then.

For video conversion/ripping: Handbrake-gtk, but you have to add the repository for it first.

https://launchpad.net/~handbrake-ubuntu/+archive/ppa (or sudo add-apt-repository ppa:handbrake-ubuntu/ppa)

Excellent GUI based tool for converting/scaling videos for Android, Sony PSP, or others. It can also rip DVD's.

All the apps that come with Pinguy ^[1] or Manhattan OS ^[2]. They are like Ubuntu after a week of customizations.

Since everything is covered, I'll add my own app, GmailWatcher ^[1] to it. ppa:loneowais/ppa

Development:

Quickly: Awesome for Ubuntu app development.

Adding to the list: geany ailurus planner qbittorrent BootUp-Manager UNetBootin

Media-Openshot: really easy to use video/effects editor

Accessories-Redshift: pretty good if you spend a lot of time in front of the monitor.

Programming-Medit: similar to gedit

I didn't notice either Smuxi or Xchat. Both are IRC clients and both are really good at what they do. Both are in the repos.

Furius Iso Mount ^[1], Viewnior ^[2] (replaces eog), bpython ^[3], pino ^[4] (twitter client), xchat ^[5] (irc client), and Pithos ^[6] (pandora with last.fm support) are all things that I find handy to have around. Also, it's great to have nautilus-elementary ^[7] to customize nautilus.

Stardict ^[1] (StarDict is a Cross-Platform and international dictionary Software)

Unfortunately, this question doesn't really utilize this answer format very effectively, but here's my list

cryptsetup - use encrypted drives ttf-inconsolata - best monospaced font IMO ubuntu-restricted-extras nautilus-open-terminal - explained above kupfer - launcher parcellite - clipboard manager radiotray - internet radio ntp - atomic clock sync desktop-webmail - integrating with gmail p7zip-full - 7-zip

Dropbox first and foremost

Then since I run Kubuntu:

choqoK -- mircoblogiing (Twitter, identi.ca, Facebook)

Blogilo -- Offline blog editing and creating

Chrome -- best web browser for me, still beats Firefox, Konqueror, reqonK, konquerorr

bzr -- to work on kubuntu-docs and other documents

Sure I am missing others

Graphics

ghhumb - A bit more slick than the distro-default Eye of Gnome, which is really just a bare minimum for image viewing.

Accessories

gnome-commander ^[1] - I always preferred the two-panel Norton Commander-alike file managers (Total Commander in Win, Midnight Commander in terminal etc.) against Windows Explorer-clones.

Firefox plugins

NoScript - For some added security and control.

I see a lot of people here are giving the thumbs up for Gnome Do. Indeed, it's a nice program.

Personally, I've had problems with it though, and while searching for a replacement, found Kupfer. It's not as pretty as Gnome Do, but once I wrapped my head around the differences in the way it works, I'm much more productive with it.

I highly recommend Kupfer ^[1].

R.

Office:

Kile - LaTeX Editor
TeXLive-full - gives you all LaTeX packages there possibly are
KBibTeX - BibTeX editor

Zim Desktop Wiki ^[1] ( sudo apt-get install zim ^[2]): I use it for taking notes. But there are a lot of things you can do with it.

Avidemux - ^[1]Avidemux is a free video editor designed for simple cutting, filtering and encoding tasks.

I won't add so many of the things here that are already covered, but ... Seriously? Irssi, anyone?

Irssi is the geek's choice IRC client. (In my humble.)

http://www.irssi.org/

Development

• Devhelp (a viewer for programming documentation, very nice when there's no/slow internet)
• Quickly (even if it's just to make bzr a bit more rapid)

Office

• Abiword (not so great for enterprisy things, but perfect to print a great looking letter)
• Gnumeric (Spreadsheet that's fantastic for statistical calculations)

Science/Maths

• Genius (Rather excellent maths environment, does great plots)

Games

• Pychess (AI and Networked chess, look very unobtrusive)