guys
I play with linux particularly suse , I am intrigued by the thought of building my own version based on a existiting version with just what I want on it , where do I start [I cannot program] ?
Would I be better off stripping a version down to the bare gui and recompiling programs myself or would it be possable for me to build one?

Have you tried Gentoo?

http://www.gentoo.org/

I definately have to agree with jalrnc; Gentoo is the way to go.

Installation may feel a little daunting at first, but it's really not bad at all. If you're comfortable with the basic mechanics of linux, you'll probably be fine with the quick reference guide.

Being your first install, however, it's probably best to read the installation instructions as well. (For someone completely new to Gentoo, understanding the differences of the three stages may not be quite apparent.

[edit] How could I forget two of the most compelling reasons for Gentoo (for me)?

1. Portage. App installation with portage is very easy -- and unlike rpm's, you'll not worry a tiny little bit about dependencies (for the most part). (The downside -- to some -- is the build time for larger packages; KDE comes to mind... hint, install the kde-base if you need basic KDE compliance then install the rest of the KDE packages overnight)

2. Speed. Since Gentoo (through portage) allows you to build your system from scratch -- and build it to fit your specific system -- you'll get a Linux install that actually is made for your hardware. Beautiful.[/edit]

So, yes... Gentoo all the way Irish Rebel. Go forth and amaze yerself.

rage

Thanks!!!
This thread has helped me as well.
Horray for search engines

ram
(Yes thats my real name.. its a real conversation starter in Power User forums)

I would actually say to use LFS, the reason being that Gentoo's Portage requires always on internet access to download packages and I just never liked that UFO...

Yeah...it's called Linux from Scratch. I have a feeling that you will learn more about your system by trying it than you will with Gentoo. Why? Because you have to do everything yourself. Really. You set everything up and that takes some serious time, but you might enjoy it. Good luck.