Is Kubuntu meant to be slow?

[MiDigitalArt]

I just started with Kubuntu 10.04 64-bit from a past version of Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit . I had heard on many forums before making the final switch that Linux, in general, is a much faster OS than Windows, but in that the issue arises. It has seemed to me that my computer has run slower since the switch in things from boot-up to just normal web browsing and file surfing. Are there any settings I may need to adjust to accommodate Kubuntu better?

[Ole Juul]

Re: Is Kubuntu meant to be slow?

First, welcome to Kubuntu.

Second, I don't know what kind of answer you are expecting since we have no idea about your hardware or software. Kubuntu 10.04 64-bit gives a bit of a hint and there may be some general suggestion for that which I don't know about. If there is a problem with slowness then it is usually due to some specific application with a configuration problem or bug, perhaps even just on some particular piece of hardware. Sometimes this is not even Kubuntu's fault, such as with Adobe Flash which seems to have problems in many cases. Actually, I think Flash for 64 bit is currently suspect.

Other than that, I can tell you that Linux generally gets faster (not slower) after it's been running for a while. Also, I have a 1GHz machine here which is downright snappy, so I know it can happen.

If you can post some specifics, then hopefully someone can answer specifically.

Edit: I just read your other posts and realized who I was talking to. So I wanted to say, that there can be some serious frustrations in moving to such a different system. Specifically the open source problem. By that, I mean that open source comes from everywhere and no one is telling programmers what they have to do. They are, after all, working for free. So we don't end up with a single, clean, well finished, application with a completely up-to-date well written manual. It's not going to happen. That is the price we pay. Anyway, that's a whole long discussion, but I just wanted to address it at this point.

More to the point here. I note that you say you have lots of XP experience. That is a long running and well developed OS so one could argue that it is one of the best. Still, the 1GHz machine mentioned above, came with factory installed XP and when Kubuntu 8.04 was put on it, we saw a significant speed increase. It now runs 10.04 and is still fast. Of course, these comparisons can go on forever and will vary from release to release.

[MiDigitalArt]

Re: Is Kubuntu meant to be slow?

First, welcome to Kubuntu.

Second, I don't know what kind of answer you are expecting since we have no idea about your hardware or software. Kubuntu 10.04 64-bit gives a bit of a hint and there may be some general suggestion for that which I don't know about. If there is a problem with slowness then it is usually due to some specific application with a configuration problem or bug, perhaps even just on some particular piece of hardware. Sometimes this is not even Kubuntu's fault, such as with Adobe Flash which seems to have problems in many cases. Actually, I think Flash for 64 bit is currently suspect.

Other than that, I can tell you that Linux generally gets faster (not slower) after it's been running for a while. Also, I have a 1GHz machine here which is downright snappy, so I know it can happen.

If you can post some specifics, then hopefully someone can answer specifically.

My notebook Specs (Asus X83VM-X1) :
Intel P8400 Intel Core2Duo @ 2.3ghz
4gb DDR2 RAM
Nvidia GeForce 9600M GS w/ 1gb DDR2 dedicated video ram
320gb HDD

If you need anymore specs just let me know.

[Ole Juul]

Re: Is Kubuntu meant to be slow?

That's a seriously fast piece of kit there! If it is not snappy then there is definitely a configuration problem. Of course some tasks like video editing can eat up the power. Your slowness problem will probably get sorted out when you put your finger on some single software component which is causing it.

Edit: (again /sigh)
I just remembered that I should say you can sometimes get a hint at what is slowing things down by looking at your process table. In Kubunty Ctrl-Esc will bring it up. In a console type "top" (q to quit).
Also, you seem to have a (perhaps video) problem as reported in "Wierd bootup issues" which could be causing issues when running. I don't have a suggestion about that, but hopefully someone more competent on that issue will address it in that thread.

[MiDigitalArt]

Re: Is Kubuntu meant to be slow?

Your slowness problem will probably get sorted out when you put your finger on some single software component which is causing it.

Thats the thing, it ran kind of slow and sluggish right from the install. Maybe it has something to do with the same occurrences that I mentioned in my other post about the boot-up issue. Check out my post in the link below.
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/index.php?topic=3112855