I use fluxbox WM, no hassle, no fancy bollocks. It's just
X with some coloured window bars and a program launcher menu.

I should have mentioned that I use the same, I love fb but the programs are still slow to start - problems must be elsewhere. I ended up liking xterm better because it is so speedy but I am still interested in finding out more.

People always say you shouldn't have to reinstall linux to maintain it so I would love to hear about possible remedies..