It's surprising how few applications are needed once you have a decent operating system underneath (see the images below). OpenOffice, FSpot and Tomboy should probably be there as well, but I don't need them at the moment.
Compared to OS X, Linux/Ubuntu is missing a good feed reader (NetNewsWire), a blogging tool (Ecto), a calendar (iCal), and a few specialised applications like OmniGraffle and OmniOutliner.
Compared to Windows, Linux/Ubuntu is missing all the audio and video tools (FruityLoops, SoundForge, Acid, Reaktor, Tag&Rename, dbPowerAmp Music Converter, VirtualDub etc).
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compared to Windows, Linux *comes with* useful apps.
Not really - it comes with useful utilities, but only three of those applications came as part of the default Ubuntu installation; the rest I installed afterwards. The point is that you just don't need so many extra tools to hack around the OS' shortcomings, as most of the features are handled perfectly well internally.
I love Ubuntu and am just blown away by how much is included, and how good it is. Wow. We are quickly getting to a day when the vast majority of web users and computer users are not going to need to run a commercial operating system. Even when that day dawns, it will be interesting to see how many or how few change. People don't like to change. But maybe the proliferation of adware, spyware, and viruses will help chase them away from the Windows platform. And if Microsoft bungles the release of Longhorn in upcoming months, maybe that will be an additional incentive too.