I've written a MegaListOne of all the things I needed to do when creating a new install of Ubuntu GNU Linux for my workshop laptops that I'm setting up. I was actually quite amazed at how long it takes and how much there is to do once you're out of the box.
Configuration, eh?
• Create "guest" - full rights
• Sound theme: No sounds
• Nautilus: list view, smaller icons
• Touchpad: disable mouse clicks, scrolling disabled
• Theme: Dust Sand controls, New Wave Window border, icons dark humanity
• Change selected color
• Clock: 24 hours, display with seconds
• Install Simple CompizConfig Settings Manager, choose Minimal + simple switcher
• Install fonts into /home/guest/.fonts (arial, calibri, cambria, candara, comic, consola, constantia, corbel, courier, droid, franklin, georgia, impact, lucida, palatino, profont, symbol, tahoma, times, trebuchet, verdana, webdings)
• Install software
o Install add-ons (including xmarks & html validator, and Benjamin Drung's workaround ppa)
o Install GNOME Do
o pyRoom
o pyRenamer
o Inkscape
o create resources
o Scribus NG 1.3.5 from appnr.com
o Scribus doc
o Scribus template
o Tux Paint
o Filezilla
o Dia
o Freemind (and openjdk)
o Geany & plugins
o Jack
o Audacity
o VLC
o Pure data 0.41-4-1
o Avidemux
o vrms
o supercollider
• Add .gimp preferences
• Add System Monitor to panel
• Clean up startup applications
• Create same settings for guest user