Load init.el first. It loads everything else. Launch emacs like: 

  emacs -q -l ~/elisp/init.el

basic.el has all my must-have configuration and does not rely on any
thirdparty libraries. It should work fine in emacs 22 and 23. It can
be used a simple, portable .emacs file.

All thirdparty libraries are in ./lib. All files directly in this
directory are config files.

The system-<x>.el files are specific to a particular OS. The
host-<x>.el files are specific to a particular machine. work.el is
loaded when it detects I am at work (by testing the hostname).