Question: What are your tips for improving overall system performance on ubuntu? Inspired by this [question](https://askubuntu.com/q/2099) I realized that some default settings may be rather conservative on Ubuntu and that it's possible to tweak it with little or no risk if you wish to make it faster.

This is not meant to be application specific (e.g. make firefox load pages faster), but system wide.

Preferably 1 tip per answer, with enough detail for people to implement it.

A couple of mine would be:

* Install [Preload](http://techthrob.com/2009/03/02/drastically-speed-up-your-linux-system-with-preload/) (via Software Center or `sudo apt-get install preload`);
* Change [Swappiness](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SwapFaq) value - "which controls the degree to which the kernel prefers to swap when it tries to free memory";

What are yours?

PS: Since this is not intended to have a unique answer but rather, several useful tips, I'm making this community wiki out-of-the-box.

Answer: 
> 
> ### [Disclaimer] Administer the following at your own risk.
> 
> 
> 

[Tushar Neupaney](http://linuxfanatic.wordpress.com/author/infobatica/) gives this advices [here](http://linuxfanatic.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/make-your-linux-box-blazing-fast/):

**1. Use lighter applications (Replace your default applications with them)**

* Gedit >> Mousepad
* Picture viewer (EOG …) >> Gpicview
* Network Manager >> Wicd
* Evince >> epdfview

**2. Decrease Swappiness**

* `sudo vim /etc/sysctl.conf` 

Edit: vm.swappiness=10

**~~3. For dual cores (Use Concurrency)~~**

* `sudo vim /etc/init.d/rc` 

Edit: CONCURRENCY=shell 

*shell* option is now obsolete. Default value is *makefile* and *shell* is by 2010-05-14 an alias for *makefile*.

**4. Clean up apt cache at /var/cache/apt/archives and unneccessary apt-sources list in /etc/apt/sources.list**

* `sudo apt-get autoclean`

**5. Install BUM (Boot Up manager)** 

* `sudo apt-get install bum`

Remove unnecessary applications and services from startup

**6. Remove some unnecessary TTY’s** 

* `sudo vim /etc/default/console-setup` 

Edit: ACTIVE\_CONSOLES=”/dev/tty[1-3]“ 

Note: goto `/etc/init/` and change the tty’s files that you ***DO NOT*** want. Edit them and comment lines starting with “start on runlevel”. So, in this case, you’ll comment the start line in "tty4.conf" to "tty6.conf" files.

**~~7. Install Prelink~~** 

* `sudo apt-get install prelink`
* `sudo vim /etc/default/prelink` 

Edit: PRELINKING=Yes
* `sudo /etc/cron.daily/prelink`

Actually, Prelink is **useless** since Feisty Fawn (because Ubuntu uses a very effective runtime linker now). In addition, it's intrusive - it directly modifies the executables and ultimately can break them. **DO NOT** do it.

**8. Install Preload** 

* `sudo apt-get install preload`

**9. Get rid of kinit if you don’t use hibernate and sleep functions.** 

* `sudo vim /etc/initramfs-tools/conf.d/resume` 

Edit: Comment (Put # in front of) RESUME=XXXX…………………….
Buy as much memory as you can afford and the machine can hold.