My preferred install is using a minimal CD and then fetch everything through apt-get. No special settings during install.
After install fetch vim first (I simply can't get accustomed to vi):

Edit /etc/profile to look like this:

# /etc/profile: system-wide .profile file for the Bourne shell (sh(1))
# and Bourne compatible shells (bash(1), ksh(1), ash(1), ...).

if [ "`id -u`" -eq 0 ]; then
  PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin/X11"
else
  PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/bin/X11:/usr/games"
fi

# my favourite prompt
PS1='\[\033[1;33m\]\u\[\033[1;37m\]@\[\033[1;32m\]\h\[\033[1;37m\]:\[\033[1;31m\]\w \[\033[1;36m\]\$
 \[\033[0m\]'

# enable color support of ls
if [ "$TERM" != "dumb" ]; then
  eval "`dircolors -b`"
  alias ls='ls --color=auto'
fi

# some more aliases
alias ll='ls -l'

export PATH
umask 022

remove ~/.bashrc and ~/.bash_profile should they exist.
And last but not least modify /etc/inputrc so Home/End etc. keys can be used meaningfully:

# /etc/inputrc - global inputrc for libreadline
# See readline(3readline) and `info rluserman' for more information.

# Be 8 bit clean.
set input-meta on
set output-meta on

# To allow the use of 8bit-characters like the german umlauts, comment out
# the line below. However this makes the meta key not work as a meta key,
# which is annoying to those which don't need to type in 8-bit characters.

set convert-meta off

# try to enable the application keypad when it is called.  Some systems
# need this to enable the arrow keys.
# set enable-keypad on

# see /usr/share/doc/bash/inputrc.arrows for other codes of arrow keys

# do not bell on tab-completion
# set bell-style none

# some defaults / modifications for the emacs mode
$if mode=emacs

# allow the use of the Home/End keys
"\e[1~": beginning-of-line
"\e[4~": end-of-line

# allow the use of the Delete/Insert keys
"\e[3~": delete-char
"\e[2~": quoted-insert

# mappings for "page up" and "page down" to step to the beginning/end
# of the history
# "\e[5~": beginning-of-history
# "\e[6~": end-of-history

# alternate mappings for "page up" and "page down" to search the history
# "\e[5~": history-search-backward
# "\e[6~": history-search-forward

# # mappings for Ctrl-left-arrow and Ctrl-right-arrow for word moving
"\e[5C": forward-word
"\e[5D": backward-word
"\e\e[C": forward-word
"\e\e[D": backward-word

# $if term=rxvt
# "\e[8~": end-of-line
# $endif

# for non RH/Debian xterm, can't hurt for RH/DEbian xterm
# "\eOH": beginning-of-line
# "\eOF": end-of-line

# for freebsd console
# "\e[H": beginning-of-line
# "\e[F": end-of-line

$endif

And some essentials: