LinuxHardware is featuring a review of Vector Linux 2.5 Soho Edition. However, Vector Linux is available now with version 3.0. In the meantime, the Lehigh Valley Linux Users Group has partnered with a startup nfp called Computers for Kids (cfk) which is refurbishing donated computers, setting them up with Vector Linux, and providing limited, ongoing training and support.
Vector Linux 2.5 SOHO Edition Review
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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If you ask me, this is the road to the desktop for linux. By keeping it simple and small, and using a fast window manager, you can really make linux rock. Average users don’t need the multi-GB installations with every program written since 1970 (well, it seems like that sometimes). Vector linux people – keep it up. … oh, and what a great idea to give old computers to kids with this OS on it!
Right as rain. YOPER seems to be interesting too. I really like it when a distro comes on a single cd, install all I need by default and has simple structure do configure. Slack is not bad too.
IMHO, Vector is not a real OS.
It’s a toy one: to surf the web, to play music,
to write e-mails. And what a strange idea not
to include packages in the downloadable iso image?
I’d better recommend to install Rat Head 6.2 in order
to give a new life to an old PC.
Calling vector a Toy OS is pretty harsh. Just because it utilizes the bulk install concept does not take away from the power one has with Vector. All the necessary developmental tools are there to add more software to the system. Since it is slackware based, slackware packages work well. Anyway, packages are there, only the concept is reversed. Once the distro is installed you can remove the packages you do not want with ease utilizing the slackware packaging system.
Going with a distro that is a few years out of date may prevent one from running more updated software without having to do some major overhauling.
So, for Vector Linux’s claim to be “lightening fast” system appealing to the “casual user” as well as the “power user” capable of fitting on “outdated machines” along with today’s hardware; it fits the bill nicely.
The real market for Linux is in the older machines. In my shop I have lots of 100-300Mhz machines. I have Suse 7.3 at home, and it would never be usable on machines like that.
Of course, MS is abandoning win 98 and ME as fast as possible and someone should pick up the pieces and could make some money/mindshare.
Vector Linux has been posted here before and they look really cool. You have the opion to use an older kernel if you need to get better performance, and they seem to keep the apps as current as possible. With the advent of the web, 90% of machines have just become “smarter” terminals. Most people (not reading OSNews. sigh.) don’t use their computers beyond the net anymore anyway. On even a ISDN line 300MHZ is not a bottleneck to web surfing or 90% of other apps. So why do OS keep growing in requirements.
The only thing I see missing from vector linux is more of a Lycrois (strip it to run well on lean systems) style feel, possible LTSP/OpenMosix support, and Xandros-type windows network support. After trying to set up win98 boxes to update patches and anti-virus I am dying for a better solution escically if I have to pay for software to fix the problems anyway.
“It’s a toy one: to surf the web, to play music,
to write e-mails.”
Isn’t that what the majority of people w/windows do? It’s not designed as the guru desktop, it’s a drop the CD in, and let it go kinda system. Sounds good for people who want an easy to use linux desktop, that ISN’T based on redhat.
I think the Vector OS is a damn good idea. There is a bunch of PC’s out there that are becomming redundent for no reason.
My sister still uses a P75, 16 MB RAM & 1 GB HD – ok she’s running Win 95 and it is slow. I had installed an older version of Red hat on it and it was ok – but it didn’t have the Word processor she needed for her masters.
The review seemed to concentrate on PII’s and PIII’s with 00’s of MHz and RAM and GB’s of HD. They are not all that old, they’ll still run win 2k and NT. What about the machines that can’t ?
VectorLinux is incredible. I’ve installed it on a couple of old donated P166s for a community centre’s free internet and they “fly” now 🙂
Dear Dann, you wrote:
>Once the distro is installed you can remove the packages you >do not want with ease utilizing the slackware packaging >system.
I’d like to attract your attention to the fact that
if you have a downloaded version of VL and you uninstall
a package then there is no way to install it again.
You have to reinstall the entire system!
This procedure is _not_ fast in VL. 🙁
And more: why not to install “pure” Slack?