VectorLinux SOHO

VectorLinux SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) is a Slackware derived operating system, a special edition of the VectorLinux distribution suitable for small or home offices, as it includes several open-source office-oriented applications.

It’s available for download as two installable-only discs

The SOHO edition of VectorLinux is available for download as two installable-only discs of approximately 700MB in size each, which must be installed on a local drive. There’s no Live CD image available for download, so you won’t be able to try the OS before installing it.

A minimal boot prompt is implemented in the ISO images

Just like any other VectorLinux edition, the SOHO version uses a minimal boot prompt that is implemented straight in the ISO images, allowing you to start the graphical installer by pressing the Enter key on your keyboard.

VectorLinux is extremely easy to install

Installing VectorLinux is a breeze with the graphical installer implemented in the first ISO image. Keep in mind that the second ISO image will be required during the installation if you choose to install extra software packages.

The entire installation process shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes and requires users to choose a language and keyboard layout, select an installation source, partition the disk, select an installation mode, install a bootloader, set up the timezone, enter a root (system administrator) password, add users and select which services will be started at boot time.

A lightweight operating system for small and home offices

All things considered, VectorLinux SOHO is a great, stable, beautifully designed, lightweight and reliable operating system suitable for small and home offices.

The default graphical environment is powered by Xfce and includes a wide range of office-oriented applications, ranging from word processors and advanced text editors to presentation and database generators, as well as personal finance managers and mind-mapping apps.

What is new in this release:

• The final release of VectorLinux 7.0 SOHO is now available. This release is built on the 7.0 GOLD release featuring the recently released KDE4.8.3 desktop experience. VectorLinux is the fastest Linux desktop in it's class bar none. We have spared no expense to bring the KDE4 desktop to the Linux community in a unique fashion that is best tried to see KDE4 at its most awesome potential. With the custom artwork, visual tweaks and a little Vector magic, behold SOHO as you have never seen it before.
• All the VectorLinux trademarks are included: DVD playback, Audio and Video Codecs, Multimedia and Java plugins are installed and working out of the box. The best of the Open Source world is included: Gimp, Scribus, Inkscape, Geeqie and Shotwell for Graphics; the latest Firefox and Opera for Internet Browsing; Pidgin and Xchat for instant messaging; K3B for CD burning ; Mplayer, UMplayer, Xine, VLC and Amarok for playing most available media formats. The office application suite is handled by the latest LibreOffice. Xfce4.8 and Fluxbox are also included to round out the desktop choices.
• Wireless networking has been extended with updated drivers and firmware. Wicd has been employed to manage wired and wireless networking. Ufw with the Gufw GUI is included for firewall protection. Added support for several web cam makes and models.
• The Kernel is version 3.2.6 and there have been improvements in installation, usability and hardware support. We believe this release will fulfill all the hardware requirements of even the most modern equipment.
• A special "Thank You" to the testers and packagers that helped during the development phase to make this release a reality. We also have a special first, for any Vector release, a promotional video highlighting all the good in SOHO produced by our very own Stretchendthin from the development team. Please watch and enjoy the video below this post. Thank you to the entire development team for all your hard work and dedication !!!

What is new in version 6.0 Final:

• The SOHO final release is based on the KDE-4.4.2 plasma desktop with many graphical and system enhancements. We have included all the productivity software one would need like Digikam, the gimp-2.6.10, k3b-2.0, scribus, OpenOffice and Inkscape to name a few. The kernel is version 2.6.31.11 which adds new wireless network possibilities along with greater speed and stability. The GUI installer first introduced in the VL standard 6.0 release has seen futher refinements and is the default installer. Support has been added for a wider range of graphic chipsets and both lilo and grub2 bootloaders are available. Importing user accounts from previous installs is now possible provided a seperate home partition is used. The latest versions of Firefox, Opera and SeaMonkey browsers are also included. X.org has been upgraded to version 7.4 to expand the useable hardware base for SOHO.
• We have included out of the box multimedia support so that all of the popular formats play without the need for searching for third party downloads to play a certain format. We also have the latest amarok 2.3.1 for your music appreciation.
• Please note that our DELUXE SOHO release will be available for purchase in about 10 days to allow for any last minute bug fixes that may show from our public release. The DELUXE version will be available as a high speed download or as a packaged two CD set via snail mail. You can preorder the packaged set from the order links on the website. We will announce the DELUXE release on our forum and website when ready so stay tuned.

What is new in version 5.9.1:

• The 5.9.1 release is a maintenance and bug-fix release for the previous SOHO 5.9 and includes 52 updates to the core system. You will also find Firefox 3.0.1, Opera 9.52, Pidgin 2.5.1, SANE 1.0.19 and a host of others. The kernel has been upgraded to 2.6.25.7 for better driver support in both sound and WiFi. After long consideration we determined that this was just too darned good and we wanted everyone to see just how good this is. We are confident that after trying the free edition you will want to come back and purchase the DELUXE edition. The default desktop is KDE 3.5.9. More than just amazing eye candy, KDE's extensive collection of graphical tools makes it easy to use for non-technical users.