I don't think it sounds like the same thing - though, if you find the solution to your roommate's issue I'd love to hear it.
I have a new (< 6 months) Mac Mini running ML and it's infuriatingly slow opening applications. It's not unusual to wait 10-15 seconds after clicking to open Chrome or Spotify (or anything else). My 5 year old MacBook does the same thing in a fraction of the time (running SL).
I have a new (< 6 months) Mac Mini running ML and it's infuriatingly slow opening applications. It's not unusual to wait 10-15 seconds after clicking to open Chrome or Spotify (or anything else). My 5 year old MacBook does the same thing in a fraction of the time (running SL).