Linux Optimization Guide

This is from 2005 but still worth a look.

IDABC: Tom Adelstein, author of the open source information website Linux Journal has published a guide with the intention to provide information how to increase the desktop performance of Linux based systems. The first part of his guide, entitled Linux in Government: Optimizing Desktop Performance, shows the required steps to tweak the memory as well as the hard disk access

Linux Journal story: Linux in Government: Optimizing Desktop Performance: Part 1

Linux Journal story: Linux in Government: Optimizing Desktop Performance: Part 2

Linux Journal story: Linux in Government: Optimizing Desktop Performance: Part 3