kde/kwin is real slow

[Aaron Maxwell <amaxwell@phy.ucsf.edu>]

I'm using KDE 2.1 and the KDE window manager (kwin, which is started by
the script /usr/bin/kde2).  I love it, except that all the window ops
are very slow.  Switching focus between two rxvt's, for example, takes
well over 500ms; so I'll do an alt-tab to switch from window A to window
B, and I have to wait nearly a second after I release the alt key before
focus switches.  

Remember how a whole bunch of new kde-flavored packes went up on
kde.tydc.com a week or two ago?  The above behaviour came about after I
apt-got them all.  Before this, focus switch above was nearly
instantaneous;  so I know my hardware's power is not the issue. (Athlon
700MHz, 256MB, Voodoo3 16MB). 

<bait>I've even switched back to enlightenment, it's so bad.</bait>

I'm running woody (except for the KDE packages, which are
all potato).  Any ideas?  Anyone experienced this and fixed it? 

Thanks in advance.

Aaron