I've decided to show my techer for "computer science" (I don't know how you call it in US language)(BTW, I am 17) what are goodies of linux and I'll use an opensource alternative for any program we will work on.
So I am searching for Linux that uses XFCE (fast but beautiful), becouse I don't like smaller ones like openbux (faster but looks like Win95) and possibly based on Debian (I am used of that), that will run smoothly on USB stick 1GB. I don't need any additional programs on disc, just openoffice, basic stuff (video and audio player, browser), becouse I really don't need all CD burners, Email clients, Games, sound recorders and so on.

I am using Linux now for 6 months (started month before Ubuntu 8.04), mostly used of Ubuntu and Xubuntu, but open for changes.

google :
DSL linux
Puppy linux
Vector linux

You could try loading a live-cd version of Ubuntu onto the drive, that would certainly be more impressive than DSL or puppy.

Pendrivelinux08? Go to pendrivelinux.com

You can use Fedora to write a livecd to usb stick and Fedora LiveUSB sticks can be created in Windows using the liveusb-creator.

Fedora has Gnome, KDE and XFCE livecd's that can be written to usb sticks and also you can create a persistent overlay that saves your settings and they can also be installed to hard drive.

I have used Fedora's livecd-creator to create my own spin by modifying the kickstart file to include packages of my choice and the livecd was under 600 MB.

Check this link FedoraLiveCD/USBHowTo , have fun!

I personally wouldn't try and cram Ubuntu or Fedora on a pen drive. These distros were not really built to be pen drive distros.

I would stick with Damn Small Linux, Puppy Linux or Pen Drive Linux as these are distros specifically designed to work with that format.

I have had excellent results with SLAX, Knoppix, and Backtrack on a USB stick. Most distros use the Lilo bootloader, but I've been using GRUB. It is is relatively simple to make a "frugal" installation from any of the live discs or USB packages.

Here's a set of instructions, with some pictures:

http://www.ab9il.net/flashlinux.html

USB drives are becoming less expensive, so you may see more and more distros going onto high capacity sticks and fewer CDs.

Regards,
Phil

http://www.ab9il.net/

+1 knoppix-live-usb

i put it on my creative zen vision w portable media player

Good luck, btw, on using open source software.

There really is a package (or a combo of packages) that facilitates doing anything that can be found in Windows. In Debian, there is a HUGE pool to draw from, and there are people working on it with a mind for making it better and better. That is an essential quality - the software is there for you to scrutinize and improve...and your peers get to see it too.



Regards,
Phil

http://www.ab9il.net/