When I first installed Drupal, I had a hard time figuring out which modules I should install. Not knowing Drupal, I did not want to install something that would make my installation non-standard so documentation would be hard to find. I also didn't want to make it difficult to upgrade.

The main drupal index should allow users to rate the modules or maybe have a relative count of downloads to help point new people in the right direction.

Below, I list my favorite modules. The first 4 I would consider vital for any site.

1. Update Status - Lets you know when an upgrade to any part of your Drupal installation is available. This module is so important it has been included in Drupal 6.x.

2. CCK - Content Construction Kit - The basic building block to allow for the customization.

3. Views - I don't know how a Drupal site can be anything but a basic blog without views.

4. Pathauto - Automatically changes your URLs to configurable SEO compliant URLs.