VectorLinux is a light weight yet powerfull Linux distribution based on Slackware, which is one of the best in terms of usability and performance. Neither Slackware nor VectorLinux are bloated software as some distros nowadays therefore their speed during regular usage is notable.

VectorLinux started as a small team effort in Canada in 2001, the main managers being Robert S. Lange and Darrell Stavem. The project is now also maintained by community contributions, which improved and expanded it to its mature state of a modern desktop operating system.

Standard Edition vs SOHO

VectorLinux is distributed in two flavours: a lighter one (standard) and a fully featured one (soho).

The Standard Edition is the smallest, using IceWM as the default desktop for X.org. It is a "speed daemon", very recommended for older machines, such as the ones on which you used to run Microsoft Windows 98. The software envirnonment is well tight and tweaked for high performance, which is notable even from the boot stage.

The SOHO Edition, which stands for Small Office / Home Office, is featured with more software and uses KDE as the default desktop for X. The application list is impressive for a single CD Linux distribution:

There are also unofficial releases, such as Dynamite or GX, but we have not tested them.

A special edition is the Deluxe one, which comes with an extra software CD and is available only via their shopping cart, not downloadable. We have not tested this release so we cannot comment on it.

Hardware Requirements