It's been over two years since Vector Linux 5.8 was released, and a lot can happen in that time.  But what specifically is that?  And has all that extra time allowed Vector to improve and grow and become a distribution to be reckoned with?  Let's find out.

Install

The Vector Linux cd doesn't have a livecd mode, but instead drops immediately into an installer screen upon boot.  The first screen, a test based dialog, asks you what screen resolution you want.  You have 10 different resolutions to choose from, including several 4:3 formats and a couple wide screen as well.  Once you've chosen your format, the installer will load a graphical installer.

Once in here you are then asked to pick your language, find the disk install media (it should do that for you), partition your drive, and then pick your software.  One interesting little aside I discovered is that, if no partition exists, or you want to modify the partitions, you are forced to dive into Gparted to make the required changes before continuing.  This could be a hindrance or show stopper for new users, but this won't be any trouble for more experienced users.

When you do your own partitioning, be sure to include a swap partition, even if you want a unified single partition for your main drive, otherwise the OS may have a bad day due to lack of any ability to swap.  Once the partitioning is done, it'll detect your new partitions, and then ask how you want to mount them.  If you go with a single, unified partition, you'll want to specify “/” as your mount point so that everything installs right.

As a small aside, if you put your mouse in the lower left corner of the screen, a Vector Linux toolbar will appear with some games to keep you occupied during the install process, plus a couple of utilities to do some maintenance if you need to.  As a secondary aside, if you make a mistake with the installer during the disk setup process, it's best to just restart, as the installer has issues backing up and restarting properly, or undoing any steps it may have started, but not completed.

In the next step, you're asked to choose how you want the install to proceed, be it custom install or full install.  Typically, unless you have some reason to tweak your install, it's best to select “full install”.  Vector will then begin the install process, which should take about ten to fifteen minutes, depending on the speed of your system.  

One of the neat things that happens while it's going through this process is that it scrolls a series of credits that list all of the major contributors to the project, which in my humble opinion is awesome, since these guys should get credit for what they've done, even if you eventually decide you don't like the distro.  They've put a lot of time and effort into making Vector, so this little pat on the back is well deserved.

The next step in the install process is to setup the boot loader.  Vector uses Lilo, and all of the default settings included on the setup screen are perfect and don't need to be changed.  You can adjust them if you want, but there's really no reason to, since the defaults are good enough.

Next you're asked to setup your time zone, root password and users.  The default settings in this window are good the way they are, so there's no need to do more than add a username, real name, and the password twice, then click “create user”.  You can adjust the permissions they have access to if you like, but if you don't have a reason to, don't.

Once this is done, you simply click next and you're ready to restart.  Overall the install process is pretty simple, and aside from the disk partitioning section, most parts of the install are pretty newbie friendly.  So that makes using this a huge plus.

Once the system reboots, you're dropped into a text based graphical install for one last string of setup questions.  These deal with configuration of xorg, and are more or less just hitting enter to continue.  You will have to choose your screen resolution again, so just remember what you used last time and use that one again.

Once the configurations are all done, it will continue booting into the desktop.  At this point you're now completely done with the setup, and the next step is to begin using your new desktop.

Overview

Upon logging into the desktop, you're greeted by a very simple interface that includes desktop links to the trash, floppy, help forums, your home folder, VASM (the Vector Linux System Management tool), your local file system and the system docs.

Vector is based on top of XFCE 4.4.3, and has a great collection of programs installed by default.  These include Gimp, Mplayer, VLC, Seamonkey, Xchat, Firefox, Abiword and many others.

Speed wise, the system is incredibly snappy, easily faster than it's predecessor (version 5.0) and quite a bit faster than many mainstream distributions as well.  Administration is very easy, and the VASM control panel system allows you to control an incredibly wide range of options on the system and with your user account.

Hardware wise, the system found everything on the first try and installed it without problem.  This includes the network stack, sound, and everything.  Multimedia playback was pretty good too, with no noticeable lag, or any kind of hangups.

Application load times were very good, and while the list of games were a bit on the thin side, the ones that are there are pretty good.  The installer it uses for adding more applications is Gslapt.  While it leaves a few things to be desired, as far as a package manager goes, it still does a respectable job installing new software.  The size of the collection could be a bit bigger, but it's good enough for those wanting a lean and mean setup, which is what Vector focuses on.

Conclusion

Overall I like Vector Linux 6.  It's fast, reasonably easy to setup and administer, and system speed is good overall.  Would I recommend Vector?  Yes, I would, absolutely.  It's a good system, especially for those who like to go lean and mean with their setup, and for those who prefer speed over features.