Here are some example dot files you may find useful. They're (almost) identical to the ones I use on a daily basis.
# change escape to backtick. hit backtick twice to use backtick literal.
# this replaces C-a
escape ``
activity 'Activity in window %n^G'
startup_message off
# change the hardstatus settings to give an window list at the bottom of the
# screen, with the time and date and with the current window highlighted
hardstatus alwayslastline
hardstatus string '%{= dd}%-Lw%{= Kw}%50>%n%f* %t%{= dd}%+Lw%<'
# start three at launch
screen 0
screen 1
screen 2
# see also http://www.networkworld.com/news/2006/100306-gnu-screen.html?page=3
" general settings
set wrapmargin=0
set ai
set nowrapscan
set cursorline
set nu
syntax on
set statusline=%F%m%r%h%w\ [TYPE=%Y\ %{&ff}]\ [%l/%L\ (%p%%)]
set laststatus=2
" color schemes
"colorscheme evening
colorscheme desert
" folding
set foldmethod=indent
"for snipMate
:filetype plugin on
filetype plugin on
set ofu=syntaxcomplete#Complete
" skeletons
"read skel_hacknotes into any new file starting with 11 and ending with .txt
autocmd BufNewFile 11*.txt 0read ~/.vim/skeletons/skel_hacknotes
"set tabstop=4
"set shiftwidth=4
"set softtabstop=4
"set expandtab
echo "starting zsh..."
# prompts
export PROMPT="%Bmac:%38<..<%~ $%b "
#export PROMPT="%{\e[0;31m%}%m%{\e[0m%}"
export RPROMPT="%B %t %b"
# prompt themes
autoload promptinit && promptinit
prompt bart
# completion madness
zmodload zsh/complist
autoload -U compinit && compinit
zstyle ':completion:*' menu select
zstyle ':completion:*' group-name ''
zstyle ':completion:*' format '%B---- %d%b'
# aliases
alias example="ssh example.com"
alias c="clear"
alias inbox="vi ~/inbox.txt"
alias dusk="du -sk ./* | sort -n | tail"
alias ymd="date \"+%y%m%d\""
alias irb="irb --simple-prompt"
# ls aliases
alias sl="ls"
alias ls="ls -F"
alias l="ls -FG"
alias ll="ls -lFG"
alias lll="ls -1FG"
alias s="l"
alias ss="ll"
alias sss="lll"
alias cs="clear;s"
alias css="clear;ss"
alias csss="clear;sss"
alias lstr='ls -tr'
# popd/pushd/dirs
setopt autopushd
alias dirs="dirs -v"
alias sdd="dirs -v"
alias sd="pushd"
alias sd1="pushd +1"
alias sd2="pushd +2"
alias sd3="pushd +3"
alias sd4="pushd +4"
alias sd5="pushd +5"
# git aliases
alias gca="git commit -a"
alias gpush="git push"
alias gpull="git pull"
alias gs="git status"
alias gb="git branch --color"
alias gdiff="git diff --color"
# svn aliases
export SVN_EDITOR="/usr/bin/vim"
# path
export PATH= [usual stuff goes here]
export HISTSIZE=1000
Tue Sep 14 12:03:43 PDT 2010