For me DSL is the best choice for my Notebook where the hardisk quit service about 3 Years ago.
I still use this computer very often to surve the internet, participate in several forums and do my e-mail via a webmailer on my own minniserver (NSLU2, unslung, xmail, popper), administer this server and my dreambox, I have no persistent storage on this notebook, if I want to keep something I mount my NFS and store it on the server.
DSL is also good to listen to internet-radio.
For me it is important that DSL boots fast from CD and works well with DHCP without calling a netcard-config etc., so my intranetv and the internet are available right away.
Unfortunately DSL does not recognice my new USB-networkadaptor, evenso I upgraded to the latest version of DSL just yesterday and linuxdrivers for the device are available, so Ihave to continue using my 10MBit/s NE2000compatible-PCMCIA-card.