flash or microdrive for software development platform?

[jbar]

Hello all,

I'm a programer and I want to use Knoppix to run development tools. I remastered my own KNoppix 4.0.2 cd and it's not a too bad solution but every time I want a new version of a library I find myself wanting to make a new remaster, which is time consumming.

Then it downed on me that I can just put Knoppix in a 1 or 2 GB flash drive and use it as a regular hard drive, read write all the time. The problem is, I have read that flash drives have a lifespan of only about a million write cicles. (they actually recommend to disable caching if you run Firefox from it, imagine)

Then I thought about using a microdrive. As I understand it it's a regular harddrive, only tiny, connected to usb, but then I have no idea of microdives lifespans.

What's your opinion? Will a microdrive give me a better support to run many (millions) of code/compile/run cicles, plus web/app servers for development? To give you a better picture what I will be running is emacs + lisp + apache + postgresql

Thank you
Jaime

[OErjan]

as far as I know they are MUCH better that flash drives, but not as good as full sized ones...
I would buy a smallish (2.5"= two and a half inch) external hdd, and use that as a permanent home.
I found one like i mean, after a google search, it is is a 40G drive that is 135x75x15mm, small enough to carry anywhere without trouble, and it runs without any external power (just that from the USB port), page is in swedish, sorry.
http://www.dustin.se/dacsaportal/sys...dID=5010087260
there are other makes/models... this was first found.