Try out a different linux distro using vmware.

I would like to have an extremely basic linux system, with a simple desktop and a browser, which supports all the different plugins the new web needs. This means java, flash, adobe reader, quick time and everything else web related.
I've found a few minimalistic linux distributions, but the problem is burning every single one of them to a CDRom. Then trying them out by rebooting, it was too much of a pain.
I found out that, it's not nessecary, when you 've got wmplayer installed.

Just get a clean vmx file like this one:

#!/usr/bin/vmware
config.version = "8"
virtualHW.version = "4"
scsi0.present = "TRUE"
memsize = "256"
ide1:0.present = "TRUE"
ide1:0.fileName = "~/cdrom/yourcdrom.iso"
ide1:0.deviceType = "cdrom-image"
floppy0.present = "FALSE"
ethernet0.present = "TRUE"
usb.present = "TRUE"
sound.present = "TRUE"
sound.virtualDev = "es1371"
displayName = "LiveCD"
guestOS = "otherlinux"
nvram = "otherlinux.nvram"

insert your filename.iso instead of the one in this template.
Start it with vmplayer, and off you go...

Get vmplayer here:
http://www.vmware.com/download/player/open_source.html