Greetings

[byron]

Hello everybody. 
I have been using vector for years now (since version 4 I think), SOHO is my favorite. I purchase the deluxe version whenever a new one released, this seems like the least I could do considering the work that I know goes into this. Keep up up the good work, I am sold on vector. I have installed it at least 100 times on my computers over the years, I make a mess of things then reinstall. This is how I learn. I do not consider my self to be an advanced computer user. I have installed vector on about 30 computers for other people usually dual boot with windows because it seems people have some kind of mental block when comes to using something other than windows. At first I networked a windows and vector machine so I could use dreamweaver and my photo printers with windows and use vector for eveything else. Now I just use a windows machine for my epson photo printers-my photo printer seems to just work better on  windows. I use deamweaver with wine because to me nothing seems to work as good as dreamweaver when it come to html editing and I have tried just about everthing else. Sometimes you just can not teach an old dog new tricks. For graphics I am hooked on gimp and inkscape. I have always been able to resolve any problems I encountered. The main one being the driver of the nvidia video never seemed to be the right one. Whenever I build a computer for myself or a client I make sure to use nvidia chipset because of their Linux suuport. I started using the vesa driver during install then boot into tui and compile the right nvidia driver. I  have been using SOHO 5.9.1 and VL6-KDE 3.5. I just installed SOHO 6 deluxe and this was the first time the nvidia driver worked during the install. I also notice that the volume control loads in the tray by default, this is good. I was expecting to see all kinds of nice graphics, audio and video editing goodies like 5.9.1 had. I tried SOHO 6 standard when it came out and I do not really see much differnce so far. This is not a complaint just an observation, like I said early what you charge for the deluxe version is small compared to what  the vector team puts into it. I am happy to support your effort. I do not see what is so good about dolphin either. I like konqueror, except I can not access my external hard drives(e-sata) or any umounted partion - removable hard drive etc. I know this is not the place for questions about SOHO 6 so I will save them for later, for right now will keep using VL6-kde3.5 and SOHO 5.9.1. I think vl6-kde3.5 was a very good idea-A+. I use it and gslapt to kind of roll my own. I am just a novice so I am sure I will have more questions about the new KDE 4. I will try not to be a pest. --Again greetings to everyone and keep up the good work.

[RonB]

Hello.

It sounds like you've learned Linux basically the way I have, by experimentation. I like Gnome better than KDE, so have avoided the SOHO and KDE 3.5 versions. I use "standard" Deluxe with the Xfce desktop. I agree with you, it's well worth the price for the Deluxe versions -- even though I don't know if I actually use any Deluxe features. (Feel like I should give "something" back, even if it isn't much.) As for Xfce, I've gotten used to it now and really appreciate its speed. When I use Windows programs (on my desktop computer) I do so by logging into a VirtualBox Win2K virtual machine -- only two applications get much use, NetObjects Fusion and Movie Magic Screenwriter. I also use WordStar 7 for DOS and dBASE for DOS in DosBox. Most everything else is pure Linux. I do have a laptop, running CentOS 5.5 and dual-boot into XP for specialized programs I sometimes need for work, but the laptop doesn't get much use as I'm usually at home.

I use to experiment a lot with different Linux distributions, but I'm pretty much completely settled with VectorLinux now -- though the CentOS 5.5 will remain on my laptop so I can learn Red Hat. (Some day I may try to get certified for work, and because CentOS is the most commonly used Linux version on Asterisk distributions.)

VectorLinux is an extremely good distribution. The best as far as I'm concerned. 

[GrannyGeek]

I like Gnome better than KDE, so have avoided the SOHO and KDE 3.5 versions. I use "standard" Deluxe with the Xfce desktop. I agree with you, it's well worth the price for the Deluxe versions -- even though I don't know if I actually use any Deluxe features. (Feel like I should give "something" back, even if it isn't much.) As for Xfce, I've gotten used to it now and really appreciate its speed.

Just FYI in case you don't know, VectorLinux SOHO Deluxe includes XFce as a desktop environment unless you don't want to install it. I don't like KDE and I never use it. You never have to run it with SOHO Deluxe if you don't want to and can set up XFce as your desktop environment of choice.

One big advantage of SOHO Deluxe is that it has the latest or very recent versions of the included software. It is very speedy on the two desktop computers on which it's installed (see my sig for their specs). I think VL6 SOHO Deluxe is the best version of VL ever, and I've used every version of VectorLinux all the way back to version 2.something.
--GrannyGeek

[RonB]

Just FYI in case you don't know, VectorLinux SOHO Deluxe includes XFce as a desktop environment unless you don't want to install it. I don't like KDE and I never use it. You never have to run it with SOHO Deluxe if you don't want to and can set up XFce as your desktop environment of choice.

One big advantage of SOHO Deluxe is that it has the latest or very recent versions of the included software. It is very speedy on the two desktop computers on which it's installed (see my sig for their specs). I think VL6 SOHO Deluxe is the best version of VL ever, and I've used every version of VectorLinux all the way back to version 2.something.

Okay, thanks. Didn't know this. So, if I try installing SOHO, will I get a chance to chose Xfce instead of KDE in a standard install -- or does this require a bit of work on my part?

Ah, never mind, I think I'll just download the CDs and try installing and dual booting it with my "standard" Deluxe. It's going to have to be pretty good to win out over Standard, though.

Again, thanks.

[GrannyGeek]

>> So, if I try installing SOHO, will I get a chance to chose Xfce instead of KDE in a standard install -- or does this require a bit of work on my part? >>

You could uncheck KDE when you are choosing what to install, but I wouldn't recommend it. I tried not installing KDE with one of the Release Candidates, intending to add XFce with slapt-get, and I wound up with a mess because the system wanted certain things that came with KDE just to work properly. (XFce was not included in the ISO at that time but could be installed later.) It may be that with SOHO Deluxe this has changed and installing just XFce with no KDE would work fine. However, I wouldn't take the chance. Although I don't like the KDE desktop environment, I do like some of the KDE programs like K3B, Konqueror, and Amarok, so I like having them installed and available without more work on my part.

Maybe you could give it a try and let us know if leaving out KDE and installing just XFce works fine.

>> It's going to have to be pretty good to win out over Standard, though. >>

SOHO Deluxe comes with a much more recent kernel and thus more hardware support, particularly for wireless and CUPS and has qt4.x libraries, which are quite important now for running or compiling current software. And SOHO includes such useful software as OpenOffice 3.something, the latest stable Inkscape, the latest stable Gimp, the latest stable Scribus, which will not compile on VL6. I haven't run VL6 Standard for months. Throughout the SOHO betas and release candidates, I used the testing version as my main OS.
--GrannyGeek

[RonB]

Hi Granny,

I think I'm going to go ahead and do a standard SOHO install because it occurred to me, I never really liked Xfce much until I tried VectorLinux, so maybe it'll be the same with Vector's version of KDE. And, as you mentioned, even if I go to Xfce (which I probably will since I've gotten used to it) it'll be nice to have the KDE programs loaded -- although K3B comes on standard Deluxe VL anyhow. I've read a few SOHO reviews that mention that VectorLinux has found a way to make KDE fast -- and I'm curious to see that.

Now, one quick question... when I install SOHO will its LILO pick up standard Deluxe partition also? At this point I'm booting via grub I loaded when installing Fedora 13 and I'm pretty sure that's going away.   

[GrannyGeek]

I think I'm going to go ahead and do a standard SOHO install because it occurred to me, I never really liked Xfce much until I tried VectorLinux, so maybe it'll be the same with Vector's version of KDE. And, as you mentioned, even if I go to Xfce (which I probably will since I've gotten used to it) it'll be nice to have the KDE programs loaded -- although K3B comes on standard Deluxe VL anyhow. I've read a few SOHO reviews that mention that VectorLinux has found a way to make KDE fast -- and I'm curious to see that.

Now, one quick question... when I install SOHO will its LILO pick up standard Deluxe partition also? At this point I'm booting via grub I loaded when installing Fedora 13 and I'm pretty sure that's going away.   

LILO picks up my VL6 Standard installation and I can choose it in LILO. In fact, on my slower desktop LILO picks up Windows plus three Linuxes. For some reason it doesn't pick up my rarely used VL6 Light on that computer (a different hard drive), but LILO does pick up a VL6 Light installation on my faster desktop.

I didn't like XFce way back when I was using VectorLinux years ago. I preferred IceWM then. But XFce has improved tremendously with each release.
--GrannyGeek

[RonB]

Hi Granny,

I'm going to start a new thread for this in "Installation & Updates" called "Standard & SOHO." Everything went fine with the install -- about 45 minutes. Except I didn't burn CD 2, thinking I wouldn't need it for the install. So I downloaded it and burned it on my wife's computer. Gave me a chance to take a walk with my kids while it downloaded. Install resumed fine. I chose Grub (since I know it a bit better) and it found my Standard Deluxe install without issue. (Even got my splash screen back when loading.) Anyway I do have a couple questions, but I'll go to the other thread for those. Thanks.