Help! What is VSF?

[Doomsdave]

I'll paraphrase Oliver Wendell Holmes: I don't know what it is, But I know it when I see it. 

[Chairface]

I'll paraphrase Oliver Wendell Holmes: I don't know what it is, But I know it when I see it. 

That sums it up perfectly!

[Tommy20]

Doomsdave pretty much summed it up.

To my way of thinking, the major difference between the genres is "feel'.  VSF "feels" like a more romaticized version of the period, while Steampunk "feels" more bleak or dystopian.

[Doug ex-em4]

I also asked this question a while back so if you want another 3 pages of interesting replies, take a look here:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=8383.0

Doug

[Viper]

I'll paraphrase Oliver Wendell Holmes: I don't know what it is, But I know it when I see it. 

Long may this ever be the case, as soon as everyone believes in a set list of things that are or arent VSF or indeed Steampunk/Gaslight whatever that's when the genre becomes stale and boring.
 

Steampunk is limited to the Technology. It has to be STEAM based. 

I have to disagree, though naturally in the spirit of my first sentence you are entitled to have your steampunk any way you want.

From my experience of the Gaslight/Steampunk community there is only a small group who think the Steam in the name means all the tech must be steam powered, in the vast majority of cases the steam is just a reference to victorian, or victorian style, techology in its entirety.