The ultra-lightweight Slitaz Linux distro is an interesting alternative for bootable USB sticks. I got DHIS Live up and running quickly:
tazpkg recharge
tazpkg get-install java6-jre
And it comes with an easy utility to create a new Live CD/USB which includes java and DHIS.
Understandably, with the minimalist ethos, support for OpenOffice seems slight (they recommend gnumeric and abiword)
Slitaz comes with the Webkit-based Midori browser, which is lightweight and fast. However, the current 0.2.4 version cannot quite handle our GIS module yet (though it seems close), so for now it is best to use tazpkg get-install opera or tazpkg get-install google-chrome
Knut