I know a couple of you are running Ubuntu...

...Are you running it optimally?

Type this at the command line:

     uname -a

If you see a string like "2.6.12-10-386" there, but you're running anything more recent than a Pentium Pro, you could probably do something to make Ubuntu a whole lot zippier. The more up-to-date your processor, the more difference choosing the appropriate kernel will make.

Read this Ubuntu Forums thread to find out how to speed things up fast enough that you can feel it.