[LinuxBrit]
You can't beat a nicely customised bash prompt. Here are a few I've dabbled with in the past.

Current prompt

It looks like this:
prompt shot

Here it is:

COLOR1="\[\033[0;36m\]"
COLOR2="\[\033[0;32m\]"
COLOR3="\[\033[0;36m\]"
COLOR4="\[\033[1;37m\]"

if [ "$UID" = "0" ];
then
# I am root
COLOR2="\[\033[1;31m\]"
fi

PS1="$COLOR2($COLOR3\u@\h$COLOR2:$COLOR1\W$COLOR2)$COLOR1\\$ $COLOR4"

Again, use the prompt command below with this for best results.

Previous prompt

It looks like this:
prompt shot

Here it is:

COLOR1="\[\033[0;36m\]"
COLOR2="\[\033[0;32m\]"
COLOR3="\[\033[0;36m\]"
COLOR4="\[\033[0;37m\]"

if [ "$UID" = "0" ];
then
# I am root
COLOR2="\[\033[0;31m\]"
fi

PS1="$COLOR2($COLOR3\u@\h$COLOR2)-($COLOR1\@$COLOR2 $COLOR1\d$COLOR2)-($COLOR1\W$COLOR2)$COLOR1\n$COLOR1\\$ $COLOR4"

Couple this with a dinky prompt-command which sets your terminal titles:

if [ "$TERM" = "xterm" -o "$TERM" = "xterm-color" -o "$TERM" = "xterms" ];
then
PROMPT_COMMAND='echo -ne "\033]0;<${USER}@${HOSTNAME}>:  ${PWD}\007"'
export PROMPT_COMMAND
fi

tsch version from Chris Lea: here.

zsh version from Daniel Mundy: here.

Previous prompts

Screenshot of my current prompt

You get username@hostname, current directory, date (UK format, switch the %d and the %m around for US format), and the history number of the command on the far right. (Ditch this bit if you don't use it!).

Stick this in your ~/.bashrc (etc/bashrc if you're the only user on your system).

COLOR1="\[\033[0;36m\]"
COLOR2="\[\033[0;32m\]"
COLOR3="\[\033[0;32m\]"
COLOR4="\[\033[0m\]"

PS1="$COLOR2($COLOR1\u@$COLOR1\h$COLOR2)$COLOR2($COLOR1\W$COLOR2)($COLOR1\$(date +%d/%m/%y)$COLOR2)($COLOR1\!$COLOR2)\n$COLOR1\\$ $COLOR4"

This should all go on one line. There should be no spaces except near the end, between the "date" amd the "+", and between the two "$"'s. Don't forget to do an "EXPORT PS1" at the end of the file.

There's more. I'll stick them in as I get time.