One of the best Drupal modules yet - Drush. Actually it's not a traditional module - it's a command line toolset. In other words, if you enjoyed UNIX, DOS, or BASIC (working without GUI), this is for you. If you have no idea what the above means, stop now.

The video below shows installation of views, context, token, cck, and drush module manager. Final times: Manual Method: 2:38:75, Drush Method: 1:17:57. Multiply those savings by 20-30 modules and weekly updates. This will be the first tool I will have in any future installs.

To take advantage of Drush, you must have SSH access to your web host. Many will give you access, but you must ask first.

Follow the installation instructions in readme.txt or watch the Civicactions tutorial.

Installation

Place drush into the home directory (outside of web root)
Set up alias in .bashrc It seems to prefer hardcoded path instead of symlinks and ~/ paths

alias drush='/home/account/drush/drush'

Set the php.ini

memory_limit = 128M
max_execution_time = 90
max_input_time = 180 // avoid unexpected timeouts

Add to drushrc.php frequently used options

$options['r'] = '/home/account/path/to/drupal';
$options['l'] = 'http://example.com/';

Test by typing drush status and drush help

I strongly recommend this setup even for single-site installs with more than just a handful of modules. I didn't fully appreciate this tool until after I had it working!