The time required for PCs today to boot up and be ready to accept commands has become abnormally large. Its gotten so bad for some users that they could switch on the computer, go to the kitchen for a snack - visit the loo on the way back and be back just in time for the processor to finally get the GUI in place. Of course it also why Windows has been called bloatware numerous times by users , but that doesnt change anything.

Users generally deal with the issue by simply wiping the hard disk clean and installing a fresh version of windows without all the junk. While doing so certainly helps, its a tedious process and by no means a permanent solution. But heres what Linux running on an Eee PC (which is certainly not known for its speed) has proved. Its possible to shave down booting time to mere seconds - I think 5 seconds is what it takes me to start the DS and begin playing ; one of the reasons that I love that console.

Not running licensed drivers? Don't need the license verification tool ?2.5 seconds saved. Only using web mail? Don't need sendmail ?2 seconds saved. Then with more optimization (including a lot of hacking of the X Windows System) and a lot of elbow grease, they had it at a hair less than 5 seconds.

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