I have been wondering this for quite a while, thought I might give a shot asking it here.
Scenario:
I use an application that used a lot of resources (for example image batch processing or compiling/running a lot of apps)
Close the resource-hungry apps
Ubuntu still significantly slower than before the resource-hungry apps were started*
* I mean, 'top' indicates low cpu usage, until I do something (as trivial as opening a tab or something) and my cpu usage spikes instantly. I noticed this on a multiple of Ubuntu boxes I own.
A reboot is the only solution I found. What's the reason behind this?
EDIT: a bit more info about my laptop: Dell Studio 1558, Intel i5, 8GB DDR3 Ram, 7200 rpm HDD
top
command) and then killing them manually? They might still be hogging it even after they are closed (it happens sometimes, processes go rogue).