This is the current version of Fedora, an Open Source implementation from Red Hat.
This is the current (30/5/2010) version of Kubuntu (KDE) 10.04.
I tested this as a replacement for the Xandros default distro on my wife's Asus EEE 900.
This is the current(30/5/2010) version of Ubuntu (Gnome) 10.04.
Like KNE, I tested this as a replacement for the Xandros default distro on my wife's Asus EEE 900.
I appear to differ from most in that I do not like to have the latest & greatest, my computer is a tool I want to be able to rely on so I prefer the proven. I also believe that the ideal OS should not need any computer knowledge to maintain so I refuse to learn anything that smacks of geek. Call me a gamma tester if you like but most MS-Windows users know little more than how to point and click so I look for Linux distros that require equally little knowledge. These are the ones I install to computers belonging to my fed-up-with-windoze friends. Having installed them I do not want my phone ringing with calls to fix this, that or the other - the system must just carry on working and doing pretty much what the their windows boxes did. Combining al this used to be a tall order but it can be done now. Mandrake almost did it, Kubuntu did it with Hardy Heron but then lost it big time. Now I've found amother that seems to do the trick.
I first tried 'Vector SOHO' a few years ago. I had been using Mandrake for a few years but had become fed up with getting caught in dependency hell and the change to Mandriva had made the distro too shaky for my purposes. I naively ignored a comment I had read somewhere about Slackware (Vector is Slackware based) being as admin friendly as a coiled rattlesnake and installed it. I cant remember which version it was at the time but I do remember being very impressed by a hassle free installation that left my computer running as smooth as silk and feeling as lively as a topnotch sports car. I remained impreessed until I started tweaking the system to my personal tastes and found it collapsing into a heap. Vector, at that time, almost totally lacked gui tools for admin and required you to be a commandline wizard for any sort of admin. So I cleared the rubble off my hard drive and moved onto Kubuntu Gutsy Gibbon. After upgrading to Hardy this was, to me, the perfect OS. I still love Hardy but was forced by a new mobo to upgrade to Jaunty. My experiences with Jaunty and Karmic left me realising that Kubuntu sails too close to the bleeding edge for me so I went distro hunting again. In the hunt for a replacement distro I decided I wanted a another deb based distro but was unable to find a KDE based one that would work with my new mobo. During the hunt I came across Vector again and thought I'd have another look at it. I am glad I did.
Vector SOHO is essentially Slackware, i.e. slick & solid, with much user-friendliness bolted on top of it. They have managed to create a KDE system that is almost as lively as Puppy. It does use KDE 3.5 instead of 4 but, IMHO, that is a big plus. It is reputed to run happily on low power hardware though I cannot comment on this as my computer is pretty high powered. Yes, that is right - a KDE system that runs happily on low power hardware. There are several editions of Vector, some of which require payment of about USD20. Though if you don't want the frills then it can be had by a free download. The SOHO edition is the Standard plus everything required of the modern desktop PC.
Vector SOHO appears to have great hardware support and everything just works (it is Slackware after all) and has kept on working for 8 months now. It has even survived my ham-fisted tweaking. The addition of three gui tools has made all the difference. KDE Control Centre is not restricted to KDE settings but also allows setting of other system items such as boot and network. Secondly there is 'Vasm Control Centre' which allows setup of much other system settings. This does lack the polished feel of a modern KDE tool but the functionality is good. Some of the VASMCC icons bring up ncurses based tools but these allow the settings to be made in a much safer manner than direct editing of the system files. Thirdly there is Gslapt, the package manager.
The package management is modelled on apt-get & Aptitude though it uses Slackware packaging. It seems to work as well as debs though with less polish, certainly better than rpms. Vector is pure Slackware 12 under the gloss so it is able to use the full Slackware repositories as well as Vectors own. Thus, though the repositories may not be as extensive as Ubuntus they are still pretty good. So far I haven't had to resort to building tarballs any more than I did with Ubuntu.
Thought it is rock solid and not cutting edge, it is not a lowtech distribution. At the time of installation, I also tried the current versions of Mepis & Fedora, but my Phenom x 4 mobo proved to be too new for them and they couldn't pick it up. Vector 'just worked' when I tried it.