I've been looking around the web for some time now , but can't seem to find what I need;
What I (think I) need is the following:
A "shopping list" of the parts to build a new install.
What I want with my system is the following:
Image-manipulation , Webbrowsing , Sound , 3D-rendering , a good office-suit and eventually running a web-server.

This boils down to running the following programs:
the Gimp
Open Office
Blender or 3D-delight Renderman
Alsa
Apache
Opera
A mailclient ( probably going for Evolution's)
IceWM

What I'm looking for is a place where I can find a coherent description of what's needed to make it all run smoothly(ie.- what other progs and libs I need to have just this little group of software to run properly)
I figure , I can always add new stuff later , when I feel like it.

This is something , I have set as a goal to work towards and I want to plot out everything on paper , before I even start.
Most important is : I don't want a single byte installed , I don't strictly need for these apps.

Try Sourceforge - all of those programs will have a page there. If you want small, Evolution and Opera may not be the best bet - try Mozilla (inbuilt mail client) or Thunderbird for mail and Firebird for browsing.

I may drop evolution and go with the Opera mailclient ; I still experience Opera as faster than firebird.
(And WAAAAYYYYYY easier in regards to assigning the handling of mime-types and plug-ins)
Thanks for the direction.

Btw.- Small is not exactly a requisite ; I just don't want overlapping functionality ; One task is handled by ONE program and ONE program ONLY.(if possible , that is.)

Sourceforge is the place to be then - which distro are you planning to go with? If you want a totally stripped down OS, then you are probably describing Linux From Scratch. If that seems too hard (and it does to me) then Slackware or Gentoo may be the way to go.

Heh...
I figured , I'd go with Slack , since I have the source-cds for that one (version 9.1)
But basically , I thought of starting with a kernel and adding the required packages in an ordered sequence. That sounds like the idea behind LFS to me.
Correct me , if I'm mistaken here.

That's how I understand it also. It is a very attractive prospect, start with a pure kernel and bolt everything on manually, gradually building up until you have a system you like.

Right now, though, it's beyond me!

Same with me , let there be no doubt about the fact , I still have to learn an awfull lot.
But this is what I've set as my first major goal ; no use in going for less , for that may be diverging from the route I want to take.

Go Slackware! I have used the Live cd and every now and again I install the full version.

Compiling all of your programs from source should make them as small as possible. Definitely read up on all of the switches you need to pass on installation - if a gui isn't needed, some progs will let you cut them out (or add them if necessary).

If you install it, try for as minimal an install as possible and add the stuff you need manually. You should then get a lean, mean, Linux machine!