For some reason animated GIFFs give Safari a hard time. Especially while trying to type here on MacNN. Some users are reporting this is fixed in the Tiger builds. I don't have any real information beyond that though. Firefox is a great browser and might be more along the lines of what you are looking for. I use it all the time myself and it is definitely faster than Safari.

As far as SafariSpeed goes it should work with no problems. I'm using it with the same version of Safari as you without any problems. If it isn't working for you and you don't mind going into the command line you could try this:

http://www.macosxhints.com/article....050118152940322

The omission of the bluetooth setup assistant isn't cool at all

I can kinda see where you are coming from with the installation of programs. Most programs on the Mac are installed by just dragging the application to the Applications folder. The installers should automatically send it into the Applications folder. Some installers give you the option of putting an icon in the dock but I've only come across a few that do this. Since the OSS 3D is a plug-in you might want to look in Macintosh HD>Library>Preferences or Macintosh HD>Library>iTunes. If not just do a search. Under the Finder click on File and then go down to Find. Search "Everywhere" for something with OSS 3D.

There is a book by David Pogue called OSX: The Missing Manual. It is a great book for anyone (switcher or long time Mac user) to have. I have to say that it is probably the easiest book to follow. It has a ton of neat tips and it tries to get away from the geek talk.

Can you go into more detail about the freezing? What application is she using when it happens? It could be something simple or a known problem with whatever application she is using.