I loaded 10.1 on a machine just to take a quick look and was dismayed by its
lagginess.  The machine is no great shakes to be sure but I was expecting
better than I saw.  The machine is only a 1.7 GHz Celeron but has a GB of
memory and I was running only 1024x768 in the built-in Intel 845G.
Shouldn't I expect this combo to run reasonably smoothly instead of having
visible pauses for most actions (like bringing up a terminal or browser)?

I am sure it would run decently on a decent machine and it seems to have a
lot to like (and a few things to dislike too).

-- 
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter
and those who matter don't mind.  - Dr. Seuss