Live Ubuntu from a USB pen drive

[sathyan]

I want to play around with Ubuntu 9.10. I downloaded the ISO and have the live CD but it is really slow. I was reading on http://www.pendrivelinux.com/ that you run linux from a USB pen drive (my motherboard BIOS supports booting from a USB drive).
-Are some models better than others for this purpose (in terms of access speed, etc.)?
-How much space would be needed? Would 8GB be adequate to use Linux? (Media files will be on the network)

At this point, I do not want to install Linux on my HDD.

thanks,
Sathyan

 

[Nothinman]

-Are some models better than others for this purpose (in terms of access speed, etc.)?

Of course, drive speeds vary so the benefits of booting off one will vary. But I would wager the access times are much better than a CD so it's probably a net win in that case regardless.

-How much space would be needed? Would 8GB be adequate to use Linux? (Media files will be on the network)

Probably since the installation fits onto a CD compressed, but I can't remember the exact number off the top of my head.

 

[lord_emperor]

Ubuntu live takes up 688MB on my 16GB USB drive.