Ok, I'm a total newbie. Someone just installed a Linux server in my office and it got me curious about this whole new operating system (new to me, at least). We're running Redhat 9, and what I find is that it seems a little "choppy" in terms of it's response. For example, I might click to start the web browser and there's a slight delay before "bam!" the browser comes up. Seems to happen with all the functions.

Is this inherent to Linux or Redhat, or could it just be our server? Not a big deal -- just a first observation.

Welcome to LQ.

Redhat is slightly bloated compared to some other distros. If you are really concerned about speed then take a look at Slackware. I find linux to be faster and more efficient than XP.

If the system is configured as a server then it is also likely that it is running many proccesses that would be uneeded in a desktop. It will also depend on what window manager you are using. To be honest I would never even install a graphical interface on a server, you are only going to decrease it's performance.

well it depends a lot of what things you run on it (KDE and Gnome are both quite big and quite slow, whereas things like fluxbox are a bit faster), and how fast your machine is, and so on...some apps do take a bit to start up, but I don't think it's a big deal when we're talking about seconds or less. at least on my machine. my windows is on some parts slower than my linux (or rather was..don't have windoze anymore)..

but I wouldn't say windows is smooth..every windoze I've tried this far, from 95 to XP, have fallen to their knees too many times my linux hasn't. rebooting is irritating and takes time..

Changing your window manager will probably stop the choppiness. Using KDE on my comp I experienced some 'choppiness' like you say. When I switched to IceWM (www.icewm.org), it all went away. Although (on my comp with the settings I had) KDE was about the speed of XP, IceWM is *definately* smoother and faster than XP every was.

Come to think about it, u're right about Windoze. Sometimes it inexplicably freezes for a few seconds, then kicks back in. Guess I'd just gotten used to it.

The real reason I was asking was because I'm seriously thinking about trying out one of the distros on one of my desktops. And after reading about it here, Slackware is on the top of the list as something's that fast, efficient, and a means to "jump wholesale" into the Linux experience.

Thanks for the quick and instructive responses. I already feel welcome in this new world called Linux

btw, it is KDE that's on this system. Guess I'll have to experiment with some other interfaces (I can't wait! ) I just don't want to mess around too much with the office server, hence my ambition to install one of the distros on my PC.

If you do go with Slackware be prepared for a bit of a learning curve and make sure you stick with it for a bit. I'm sure you'll enjoy the experience once you are familiar with it.

I've given it some hard thought, and I think I'm up to it

Wow, 4 posts already!!!

My husband uses xp all the time and is constantly having probs with viruses no matter which AV program he uses and pop ups galore! so if there is one small feature to entice someone form windoze to linux these probs have to rate pretty much top of the list!
I use rh9 and am totally happy with it......I hope to try other versions of linux at some point but have always been happy with RH`s performance and as David says if ur rh9 is a server config then this could be why it seems ur machine seems to run a little slower

Personally, I also find Linux with KDE a little slow in the repsonse time compared to Windows XP. I have Windows XP SP2 and SuSE Linux 9.1 Personal running on the exact same laptops (I have 2 identical ones).

Programs seem to take a while before they would load.

If you want to go with one of the more advanced user distro's such as Slackware... I suggest Debian...Use the "Sarge" (testing) release... and if you have a Cable or DSL connection... just download the "netinst" (internet-installer) disc... It will start off with the basic installation and then pull all the necessary packages from the internet... I think you will greatly appreciate Debian't "apt-get" package management system in comparison to Slackware... If you get hung up on the installation for Debian...(it's much improved from previous versions, though still somewhat difficult for newbies)... Try Red Hat 9 -- or preferably Fedora Core 2... Red Hat, inc.'s public projects as the Red Hat OS went corporate now...

I like to think of Fedora Core 2 as the "Windows XP" of Linux... WITHOUT ALL THE FAULTS!!... What I mean by this is that it's very easy to install... a nice GUI interface from the get-go... and it has FABULOUS hardware support... and a very user friendly interface...

So like I said... if you think Debian is a little advanced.. try Fedora (I guarantee you'll love it) for a month or two... Get used to the file system and the way things are organized... and then jump into Debian... That's kind of my experience... Only i tried quite a few before recently jumping on the Debian bandwagon... and I love it!!! Good Luck!

Is Linux as "smooth" as XP, smooth as XP please not that....

And since when is Win XP smooth?

At most larger companies who use Windows XP are with the upcoming Service Pack 2 all system managers on the highest alert and are all holidays and days off are canceled.

Since we started to use Linux I find out that I live in Thailand and that there is more then my computer room. Since we quite Windows I got my life back, I have time for wife and kids, and nobody call me in the weekend.

If you are considering putting Slack on your box (otherwise known as Skating the Learning Curve), the September issue of Linux Format has a CD with Slackware 10.0. It beats downloading and adds a bit of instructions, too...
I am using Mandrake 10.0 Official with the FluxBox window manager. Setting Flux up with shortcut keys, it responds very quickly compared to KDE. This system is very well suited to slimming the setup, making it faster.

Always found KDE much slower then XP. However, the early versions of both kernel and KDE really speed things up a _lot_. Worthy the shot with a distro which uses a 2.6.x kernel instead of 2.4.x...

Although, under some settings, linux can seem 'choppier' than XP, it certainly is possible to get linux running *way* faster than XP can go. Using fluxbox and opera, I can easily have a couple dozens web pages open and I can switch between them extremely smoothly. I could never do that with opera on XP (and forget about even trying with internet explorer).

Basically, mess around with the different window managers (I recommend IceWM or Fluxbox), and different programs (I find Opera to be faster than Konqueror) until you find something that feels the way you want it to.