On all my Linux boxes the DNS lookup is incredibly slow. Takes 5-10 seconds per site and often multiple 5-10 depending on how often I click a link on that site to content on that site.

If I use Comcast's DNS I have the same issue.

If I use OpenDNS I do not have the problem.

Anyone have any ideas as to why?

So someone here believes that supporting microsoft is the solution to confront the google effect???!!!!
HA,HA,HA
THIS IS A JOKE!
When microsoft opensources its operating system and its office suite,stop the banning of the modified xbox360,give away its program languages and stop the hideous involvement of its founder in the software,pharmaceutical and genetical modified patents THEN
I might consider this as a solution.
MICROSOFT IS WAY WAY WAY WAY MORE EVIL THAN GOOGLE!

Bas... any DNs server need to lookup in another DNS record to search for the IP address... so HOW in the world can your DNS server be faster?

Sure it may answer you back faster, but FIRST it need the correct anwser, and to get this answer it needs to ask remotely, so you just ended up adding another layer of DNS cream.

Networking 101

annie and joed,
You forget there is caching. Your PC keeps the resolves into memory until reboot.
So, even IF Google DNS manages to log your queries (which is not an easy task at all, given the traffic) they still will be quite useless since profiling requires much more detailed urls.
E.g.: a DNS query for this article will provide Google with only "www.theinquirer.net" part and it will be received once, no matter what you do next with this site.
A drop in the ocean, compared to the data Google's search and Analytics usually collect.

Doesn't work with the most popular newspaper website in Brazil (http://www.folha.uol.com.br/). Oh well.

googles skynet is almost 100% operational. Next they will launch nukes at us.

"Our research has shown that speed matters to Internet users"

Please, show me your numbers before you make such a ridiculous claim, dear sir.

Sincerely,
the Australian ISP Consortium

It's nice to have some nice backup DNS server to use that are fast, and more importantly easy to remember.

Especially given the quality of the lookups Tiscali, sorry Talktalk have been providing recently.

I emailed their "technical support" about it, with full diagnostics and to say they didn't understand the "DNS", or the concept would be putting it mildly!

Why using Google?
I have my own DNS servers running, they are faster as they are local.
No way Google can beat that :-)

Fun part is, with linux you can install DNSMasq and give as many DNS servers as you like, the program remebers the fastest routes.
And Google sure isn't the fastest as they need to ask the root-servers also, just like all others.

Ah, another step in GlloLGLlgl's plan of taking over the world. I wonder what the next is?

Public services nailed so far:

* Search
* Mail
* RSS
* Maps
* Earth ;)
* Browser
* OS
* DNS
* A lot more...

Could the next step be to offer ISP services? Or becoming a major internet backbone, filtering all traffic? That way they could keep tabs on what everybody does.

There is no way Company-with-horrid-name will offer everything for free and be nice and friendly all the way, "doing no evil".

Are they just greedy, like everybody else? I don't think so. This is way beyond greed.

I don't like conspiracy theories, but GolGLlggLL is without a doubt slowly taking over everything, like a giant slimy blob with a bottomless stomach...

I don't like Microsoft that much, but I guess I'll have to support them actively from now on. They're just greedy, I can live with that.

I've used OpenDNS for about as long as it's been around and inhouse dns servers and speeding up resolving dns helps no doubt and blocking ads with AdBlock made the biggest difference of all but you can't make a website that throttles or limits the current number of connections run faster and that many many times where the problem lives.

that's exactly my concern - tried the service, can't really say if it was faster. surely google could collect more data on my web activities (so does comcast - grounded their redirect/serch to 127.0.0.1). there is really no perfect way, short of setting up your own dns to use enormous cache and resolve unknown addresses at random (long list) external dns servers

By using Google's DNS service, Google will be able to record each DNS requests from every IP addresses that uses the service.
So if you are careful to block advertising content using AdBlock for example. They will still be able to track which sites you go to and when. Even if you are using a DHCP IP address, your viewing preferences will identify you.
On the plus side, Google will be able to rank sites more effectively due to the number of DNS queries unless some enterprising individual writes an application to automatically generate spurious DNS queries to hide your required traffic or Spurious DNS Querier (SDQ for those lovers of TLAs).

My own ISP's DNS servers are as slow as molasses in January, so Ive been using OpenDNS for years now. They're good, reliable, fast and the tools are great. They are free.

But I tried Google's DNS today and its still a LOT faster for me (in Europe). YMMV