Lubuntu is an exceptional lightweight distribution but there are a few applications you may find "missing" even when compared to frugal distributions such as Puppy Linux and Knoppix. Here's a quick rundown of basic utilities and applications you might want to install after setting up Lubuntu:
1. Gufw - Lubuntu, like all Ubuntu spins, comes with a firewall, but if you want a simple GUI to change settings and allow and deny ports, install Gufw on Lubuntu and you're all set. Even the brilliant guys over at the Linux Action Show recommended it and that's a good enough endorsement for me.
2. Grsync - Lubuntu doesn't have Deja Dup or Backup installed on its default configuration. Grsync, a lightweight GUI frontend for rsync, is a reliable alternative for syncing folders and directories to your external drive. It's a very hands-on approach to backing up but it beats having no backup solution.
3. Gnome Search Tool* - If you often need to search for files in your 2TB drive then you're going to need a way to search. To make Lubuntu faster, there's really no search feature in PCMANFM and no indexing engine like the awful Nepomuk over in openSUSE. If you just need to make basic file searches and you're not inclined to using the terminal, then install Gnome Search Tool. Without file indexing, Gnome Search Tool isn't the fastest desktop search around but it doesn't clash with LXDE and it does its job in a pinch (without slowing down your system). If you want something more powerful, you can always install Catfish.
*The latest Lubuntu release now includes Catfish by default.
4. Remmina Remote Desktop Client - The Fedora 17 Xfce spin has it, so why shouldn't Lubuntu? Remmina is a great little VNC client for accessing other Linux boxes on your network (and Windows, too).
5. Cherrytree - The popularity of Evernote over in mobile apps and Microsoft Office OneNote has proven that there is a market for note-taking. Lubuntu comes with a plain text editor Leafpad, but a quick yum command will get you Cherrytree, a fantastic hiearchical note-taking application which you can use to write your novel, website, or just take notes. It can import files from popular note-taking applications like Keepnote, Basketnote and Tomboy. For those who don't want to learn markup languages like Docbook, it does a pretty good job of exporting to a structured HTML site (complete with navigation tree links), PDF, and XML.
6. Bluefish - Lubuntu is great for programming when installed on a netbook. If you're going to write even rudimentary programming or markup, then you're going to need an editor with a little bit more power than Leafpad. Everyone has their preferences when it comes to IDEs, but the basic but very flexible Bluefish editor works for my HTML5 and Docbook projects. As an alternative, you can also install Geany.
7. Mozilla Firefox - Some Linux distributions package a backup browser. openSUSE has both Firefox and Konqueror while the Fedora Xfce spin has Firefox and Midori. Lubuntu comes with Chrome's brother Chromium, which is a great choice for most Internet tasks. But one of the reasons why installing Firefox is a good idea because it's an easy way to set up a web proxy. With Chromium, you'd have to modify the Ubuntu System Service manually (no GUI in Lubuntu) for a system-wide proxy or edit part of Chromium to launch a proxy server prompt. You can of course just manually add a proxy in Firefox's Preference and Advanced settings. You can always just install Google Chrome, but Firefox has its own catalog of plugins that can add functionality to your Lubuntu system without the added bulk. If all you need is a way to set up a proxy, install the fairly advanced utility Squid Proxy.
Somewhat less lightweight applications you also might want on your Lubuntu rig are Calibre (for converting and uploading ebooks), Gimp (for advanced image editing beyond the included mtpaint graphic editor), Skype for Linux, and SMPlayer (to take advantage of the codecs you probably installed along with Lubuntu).
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