USB flash drive -- what do I put on it and how?
 

Today I got myself a 1gb USB flash drive, and I want to turn it into a bootable Linux installation. I'm hoping to put something Debian-based, because I like apt-get for my packaging needs.

I first tried to put Damn Small Linux on it, but for some reason, even though I did all the steps listed here, when it came time to boot from it, I got "Boot failed."

So I turned to Knoppix, and while it's nice, it's bulky and there are too many redundant programs. I also am having trouble getting it to be persistent (for example, I have to keep running the pppoeconf command at each bootup).

What would you suggest for me? Is there a good distro that can be easily expanded through apt-get? Or do you know how I can get DSL to boot, or Knoppix to be streamlined?

I really like puppy linux for this. It has a pretty nice default interface too.

Sounds interesting -- how easily can I add new programs to it?

I honestly haven't tested new programs, as it does come with a lot built in, but since it's based on Knoppix, I would image that apt works. :)

I was able to get DSL to boot, but I'm having the hardest time getting it to install new programs and keep them on. For example, I want NetHack on it, but I don't know how to get it so it'll stay there after I reboot.