linux on my usb stick

Interesting excercise. The stick can hold 512MB, so my first thought (put the Ubuntu live CD onto the stick) failed.

So here's what I figured out:

• debootstrap is your friend. You partition, format, mount, debootstrap, and have a functional linux.
• oh. De only thing you don't have, is an actual linux kernel. So install it with apt-get
• both lilo and grub is complicated and big. Use extlinux to boot
• apt-get install xserver-xfree-drv-ati, and some fonts
  
• apt-get install gnome - this is 700MB! who would have thought. skip that
  
• I settled with apt-get install fvwm. Oh the old days
  
• apt-get install xdm - why does this also install cpp??
• and to get to the point: apt-get install firefox

Tadaam. Still got 100MB to spare, and can do all my stuff. I mean you can do everything with a browser, can't you :)