Ubuntu ships with a number of themes. It's default is titled "Human", but you can customize it to a variety of appearances, even  to look like classic Windows (Inhuman perhaps?)

Ubuntu includes a number of Internet and networking applications.
It includes, Firefox, the Evolution e-mail program, an instant messenger, and a tool to place phone calls over the internet.
It includes a  remote desktop client that can use RDP to connect to Microsoft Terminal Servers or VNC servers.

And note that although Firefox does not include plugins such as Java, it is again dead simple to get them using Add/Remove Applications.

These are some of the applications that come with Ubuntu. Of interest, it comes with an application for taking notes. This has got to be the most extensible note taking application I have ever seen.

Like most Linux distributions it comes with OpenOffice.

And, again, Ubuntu comes with the typical array of games for the GNOME desktop. And, again, even more can be downloaded via its Add/Remove Applications tool.

So, lets try a few things out. I tried playing a DVD. Due to licensing bullshit, DMCA bullshit, and other bullshit, Ubuntu may not include anything that can play one. It does, however attempt to locate and download the stuff needed to do that. Of course due to the same bullshit they are not permitted to make a fully free functional DVD player system available for download.

So what it did manage to download supposedly can play DVDs that are not region crippled. Unfortunately most commercial DVDs are region crippled (This means the DVD can only be played on players in certain countries). I happen to have a couple that are not region crippled, but it did not seem to be able to handle the DVD menus and I could find no way to start the videos directly.