Boot times:
Basic XP: 45s,
Xubuntu: 75s to login then 15s to desktop.
Kubuntu: 105s to login then 60s to desktop
I can believe that. Ubuntu does load slower than Windows.

XP: IE: 5s
Xubuntu: Firefox: 13s
Kubuntu: Konqueror: 18s
5 seconds is not the time it takes for IE to start up, as it's already in the RAM when you boot up.

XP: Wordpad: 3s
Xubuntu: AbiWord: 12s
Kubuntu: AbiWord: 25s, OpenOffice.org, Writer: 105s
Wordpad is not an office program. It does not edit .doc files. If you want an rtf editors, there are some for Linux that will boot up in less than 3 seconds.