Hotmail errors and slow performance

Hotmail's overhauled interface and new features have not all been implemented in all regions around the world (e.g. Asia).  However, there has been noticeably slow loading times when using Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, particularly in Linux systems. Sending or receiving e-mail and just loading the Inbox can be a bit slower in Hotmail than other e-mail services such as Gmail.

A recent error on a Windows 7 machine may reveal the cause: Microsoft Silverlight.  Although the symptoms may appear mostly on Chrome or Chromium browsers (for obvious reasons), it actually can also happen on Internet Explorer 7 or 8 especially on a machine that has not undergone Windows Update.  

Extremely concerned Linux users may want to look into Mono - the open source implementation of Silverlight for Linux.  However, it's perfectly fine to wait it out.