When looking for a platform to learn Linux and Python programming, Raspberry Pi would be on top of most peoples mind today. The success of the Raspberry Pi brand has created an active and novice friendly community, where help and advice is easy to find. However, just using a Raspberry Pi as a low-end desktop computer is surprisingly complex and setting up a room for a programming workshop requires a few crates of additional equipment (keyboards, mice, monitors etc.). It seems that the strength of Raspberry Pi platform is in low-cost, low-power embedded and physical computing applications, like robotics, control and measurements systems. Despite the enthusiasm for Raspberry Pi, it may not be the best choice for organizing a programming class/workshop, specially if the school already has plenty of PC hardware available. The Lernstick is a Debian live-image based distribution which can be booted off a DVD or USB stick. It is being developed by the School for Teacher Education