After two years of waiting, the new VectorLinux is here

Nov 28, 2011 17:21 GMT  ·  By

VectorLinux 7.0 has been released. After quite a lot of work and several testing releases the final build is here. Its creators boast that it's the fastest distro out there and that it's packed with everything you need right out of the box.

If it's not installed by default, it's available in the repositories. VectorLinux 7.0 comes with XFCE 4.8 as the default desktop environment and Fluxbox as the alternative.

"The final release of VectorLinux 7.0 (code name 'GG') is now available. This release is the result of nearly two years of blood sweet and tears since the very successful release of VectorLinux 6.0," Robert Lange announced.

"With the enthusiasm of a small group of packagers, our repository now hosts over a thousand up to date packages," he said.

"VectorLinux is the fastest Linux desktop in it's class bar none. We have exceeded our original goals of VectorLinux 7 and produced a beautiful, full featured stable desktop that is fun, fast and efficient," he added.

VectorLinux 7.0 has an unique look, thanks to a custom theme and other artwork. The latest version is also available in a lot more languages than before thanks to a lot of localization work.

VectorLinux tries to fit everything in from the get go, which means that DVD playback, audio and video codecs, Java and other plugins are installed by default.

There is also a selection of packages for most tasks, photo editing, viewing and management are handled by GIMP, InkScape, Geeqie and Shotwell. Both Firefox and Opera are included in the default installation.

Pidgin and Xchat take care of instant messaging support. Also included is Brasero, though K3B is available in the repositories. Mplayer, UMplayer, Xine and Exaile are all included for multimedia.

LibreOffice is only available in the repositories, but Gnumeric and Abiword are included by default. VectorLinux is also sporting the Linux 3.0.8 kernel.

VectorLinux 7.0 is available for download here.