If you’re running the Second Life client or the most popular alternatives, including Hippo, Meerkat and Imprudence, you might notice performance problems when running on older machines, or on the new stripped-down netbooks.
Technology consultant Joel Foner offers some excellent advice in his article, 8 Ways To Make Second Life Run Faster On Your Low Performance Computer.
While the article specifically mentions the Second Life browser, it applies to the other compatible browsers, as well.