Index: modules/dashboard/dashboard.css
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/modules/dashboard/dashboard.css,v
retrieving revision 1.3
diff -u -r1.3 dashboard.css
--- modules/dashboard/dashboard.css	21 Nov 2009 17:42:00 -0000	1.3
+++ modules/dashboard/dashboard.css	27 Nov 2009 23:23:12 -0000
@@ -113,3 +113,7 @@
   width: 30px;
   height: 1.6em;
 }
+
+#dashboard #block-node-recent div.content {
+  padding: 0 0 5px 1px;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
Index: profiles/default/default.install
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/profiles/default/default.install,v
retrieving revision 1.18
diff -u -r1.18 default.install
--- profiles/default/default.install	10 Nov 2009 17:27:54 -0000	1.18
+++ profiles/default/default.install	27 Nov 2009 23:23:13 -0000
@@ -121,6 +121,16 @@
       'cache' => -1,
     ),
     array(
+      'module' => 'node',
+      'delta' => 'recent',
+      'theme' => 'seven',
+      'status' => 1,
+      'weight' => 10,
+      'region' => 'dashboard_main',
+      'pages' => '',
+      'cache' => -1,
+    ),
+    array(
       'module' => 'user',
       'delta' => 'new',
       'theme' => 'seven',
Index: modules/node/node.module
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/modules/node/node.module,v
retrieving revision 1.1169
diff -u -r1.1169 node.module
--- modules/node/node.module	19 Nov 2009 04:00:47 -0000	1.1169
+++ modules/node/node.module	27 Nov 2009 23:23:13 -0000
@@ -165,6 +165,12 @@
     'node_admin_overview' => array(
       'variables' => array('name' => NULL, 'type' => NULL),
     ),
+    'node_recent_block' => array(
+      'variables' => array('nodes' => NULL),
+    ),
+    'node_recent_content' => array(
+      'variables' => array('node' => NULL),
+    ),
   );
 }
 
@@ -1994,6 +2000,9 @@
   $blocks['syndicate']['info'] = t('Syndicate');
   // Not worth caching.
   $blocks['syndicate']['cache'] = DRUPAL_NO_CACHE;
+  
+  $blocks['recent']['info'] = t('Recent content');
+  
   return $blocks;
 }
 
@@ -2001,13 +2010,140 @@
  * Implement hook_block_view().
  */
 function node_block_view($delta = '') {
-  $block['subject'] = t('Syndicate');
-  $block['content'] = theme('feed_icon', array('url' => url('rss.xml'), 'title' => t('Syndicate')));
+  $block = array();
 
+  switch ($delta) {
+    case 'syndicate':
+      $block['subject'] = t('Syndicate');
+      $block['content'] = theme('feed_icon', array('url' => url('rss.xml'), 'title' => t('Syndicate')));
+      break;
+
+    case 'recent':
+      if (user_access('access content')) {
+        $block['subject'] = t('Recent content');
+        $block['content'] = theme('node_recent_block', array(
+          'nodes' => node_get_recent(variable_get('node_recent_block_count', 10)),
+        ));
+      }
+      break;
+  }
   return $block;
 }
 
 /**
+ * Find the most recent nodes that are available to the current user.
+ *
+ * @todo Decide on best place for this function within the file
+ * @param integer $number
+ *   (optional) The maximum number of nodes to find. Defaults to 10.
+ * @return
+ *   An array of partial node objects or an empty array if there are no recent
+ *   nodes visible to the current user.
+ */
+function node_get_recent($number = 10) {
+  // Can't use node_load_multiple() due to inability to limit
+  // and order results - would return all nodes if we used it
+  $nodes = db_select('node', 'n')
+    // Are there any other fields which should be returned for this?
+    ->fields('n', array('uid', 'nid', 'type', 'status', 'title', 'changed'))
+    // Should we set status as a condition? Isn't the point of the
+    // module that users do not "lose" content they have created...
+    ->condition('status', NODE_PUBLISHED)
+    ->orderBy('created', 'DESC')
+    ->range(0, $number)
+    ->addTag('node_access')
+    ->execute()
+    ->fetchAll(PDO::FETCH_OBJ);
+  return $nodes ? $nodes : array();
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns a formatted list of recent nodes to be displayed in the recent content block.
+ *
+ * @todo Decide on best place for this function within the file
+ * @return
+ *   The recent content table HTML.
+ * @ingroup themeable
+ */
+function theme_node_recent_block($variables) {
+  $rows = array();
+  
+  foreach ($variables['nodes'] as $node) {
+    $cells = array();
+    $cells[] = theme('node_recent_content', array('node' => $node));
+
+    // node_access() calls done here as themers may not want
+    // operations available in the block, thus reducing processing
+    // time for those instances - can change if feedback dictates.
+    $cells[] = node_access('update', $node) ? l(t('edit'), 'node/' . $node->nid . '/edit') : '';
+    $cells[] = node_access('delete', $node) ? l(t('delete'), 'node/' . $node->nid . '/delete') : '';
+    $rows[] = $cells;
+  }
+
+  if ($rows) {
+    $output = theme('table', array('rows' => $rows));
+    
+    // TODO?: Apply a class to this link to match spec 
+    // see: http://drupal.org/node/337947#comment-2294824
+    $output .= l(t('Show all content'), 'admin/content');
+  } 
+  else {
+    $output = t('No content available.');
+  }
+  
+  return $output;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns a formatted list of recent nodes to be displayed in the recent content block.
+ *
+ * @todo Decide on best place for this function within the file
+ * @return
+ *   The recent content table HTML.
+ * @ingroup themeable
+ */
+function theme_node_recent_content($variables) {
+  $node = $variables['node'];
+  
+  // TODO: Add classes to div blocks to allow themers to modify without 
+  // overriding theme function, need input on class names to use
+  $output = '<div>';
+  $output .= l($node->title, 'node/' . $node->nid);
+  $output .= theme('mark', array('type' => node_mark($node->nid, $node->changed)));
+  $output .= '</div><div>';
+  $output .= theme('username', array('account' => user_load($node->uid)));
+  $output .= '</div>';
+  
+  return $output;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Implementation of hook_block_configure().
+ */
+function node_block_configure($delta = '') {
+  $form = array();
+    if ($delta == 'recent') {
+      $form['node_recent_block_count'] = array(
+        '#type' => 'select',
+        '#title' => t('Amount of recent content'),
+        '#default_value' => variable_get('node_recent_block_count', 10),
+        '#options' => drupal_map_assoc(array(2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 30)),
+        '#description' => t('Pieces of content displayed in the <em>Recently posted</em> block.'),
+      );
+    }
+  return $form;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Implementation of hook_block_save().
+ */
+function node_block_save($delta = '', $edit = array()) {
+  if ($delta == 'recent') {
+    variable_set('node_recent_block_count', $edit['node_recent_block_count']);
+  }
+}
+
+/**
  * A generic function for generating RSS feeds from a set of nodes.
  *
  * @param $nids