Browsers are slow in Ubuntu 9.10

[jinjo]

For some reason my internet became really slow after I installed linux. Tried on my other laptop which runs windows XP and internet runs like a charm. I think downloading regular files works without any problems but browsing in firefox is really really slow. I mean, my hair is now gray What could the reason be? Any hidden firewall of some sort? I don't know what comes with ubuntu and that runs in the background since I haven't been using it too much or for so long yet.

[pseudo]

I found that firefox takes ages to load and is not as fast as I would like it to be when rendering webpages. I have been using the beta version of google chrome without any trouble at all for two weeks now and it's blisteringly fast.

Don't worry about the beta status, I have not encountered any bugs, let alone any major issues.

[jinjo]

I will try chrome, but I only had this problem with Fx in Ubuntu 9.10 just now. In Windows XP it runs like a charm. I tried konqueror earlier when I had kubuntu (where the sound didn't work) and it was slow as well.

[pseudo]

Have you had your S10 on for ages, or on standby/hibernating? Maybe that could be your issue... I have found that suspend does not function correctly in 9.10 and I cannot resume.

Or is it your connection? Try downloading a new Ubuntu .iso with "wget" on the command line and see what speeds you get...
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/downloadmirrors#mirrors

How did you get the WiFi working? Did you use the proprietary Broadcom STA drivers? Does using an ethernet cable change the speed?

So many things it could be and many of them not even firefox

[jinjo]

Like I said, it's no problem in windows XP which is on another laptop or on my girlfriends laptop running vista. I'm using the proprietary drivers from broadcom which were automatically activated and downloaded with ubuntu. I had 9.04 earlier but upgraded and the problem did I have with both versions. The problem is always there: if the computer were newly rebooted or out of hibernate mode. Dunno what it could be.

So it cannot be my connection. The problem lies on this computer. I didn't have the problem when I was running windows 7 on it either so it has to be linux. I always use firefox so either it's the OS, its driver or it lies on the linux edition of firefox. I wanted to test chrome but there seems to be no linux version yet or maybe there is a beta somewhere.

[EDIT] The download speed is fast like always when it comes to downloaded files in the browser or bittorrent. It's the browsing that is rather slow.

[pseudo]

That means it is Firefox then... have you got loads of add-ons running?

That's about all I got otherwise, sorry

[jinjo]

Nope, running the clean installation that I got with ubuntu

[pseudo]

Strange, because mine works fine... clean install of Ubuntu, stock firefox, what else do you have installed? It could be some sort of conflict?

I will check what else I have installed when I get home tonight and let you know in case it is that.

[jinjo]

I think the only programs I installed myself are skype, wine, vlc and itunes + spotify on wine. I have done no other modifications that I can remember. But his problem was also before I installed those so hmm maybe it's just a bad installation of ubuntu?

[peteraugusts]

Well this was the same problem which I have noticed with my web-browser. It was little slow down. On 9.10 I notice things are non-responsive to point. And if I try force quit, that stalls for a while too this was never an issue with 8.04. When I do run the simulations and they are running a bit faster on 8.04 as well. Overall, I am very disappointed with 9.10 because performance is poor. I'm sticking with 8.04.