In Russian there is word тормоз (tormoz) which originally meant "brake" (as in a car), but now is often used to denote a very slowly working software.
The nearest word in English I know is "lag". But I am unsure that these are the same.
How to translate "тормоз" (in this second sense) to English?
Examples of usage: 1. Windows is тормоз compared to Linux. 2. Microsoft Word is a тормоз.
There is also a Russian verb "тормозить" derived from this noun. I want its English equivalent, too.
If software is тормоз because too many poorly implemented features have been added, then it is "bloated." This bloating might be the result of feature creep, as many 'small' features get added on one after another. Software that has suffered from this problem ends up being called bloatware.
If it is тормоз because it is poorly written, and needs to be re-coded, then it is probably "slow," "laggy," "inefficient," or (maybe) "buggy."
A software application that is relatively small in size, works quickly, and probably has a somewhat limited feature set could be referred to as lightweight. So more full-featured software that moves slower is, by contrast, heavy. But usually you don't hear that usage; "lightweight" is the more common term.
I think the best term is for you situation is simply laggy, which is the adjectival form of lag.
Windows is laggy compared to Linux.
Microsoft Word is a laggy program.
In English, rather than a verb derived from the noun, we just have "lag" as both a noun and a verb. In the software context, "to lag" simply means "to experience lag."
The lag in Call of Duty was so bad last night that I couldn't even walk in a straight line.
Call of Duty was lagging so hard last night that I couldn't even walk in a straight line.
Whether "laggy" really has the same specificity as тормоз in Russian is up for debate. Software can feel laggy because the code is poorly written or just because the machine's hardware isn't up to the task.
For example, Adobe Suite products on my five-year-old work computer take forever to start up, and opening new screens can cause a mini-freeze while they load. But on my home computer, the exact same programs open up right away and run very quickly. Is my home computer overcoming laggy software with superior specs, or is my work computer causing perfectly good software to lag because of bad specs? Perhaps a bit of both, but whatever the case, "laggy" doesn't really suggest a root cause one way or the other.
Also, note that lag may not have anything to do with the software at all.
For example, a clever user experience designer may trick users into thinking his software is faster by modifying a loading screen, when ultimately the software takes just as long to load.
Or, in the Call of Duty example above, if I'm playing online multiplayer, the lag I experience is really just ping that happens because one or more players has slow internet and/or is located geographically far away from other players or the game server. It has nothing to do with the game itself (other than the software used to match people up into a game initially).
Ultimately, laggy doesn't describe the software per se, but rather how the software feels to use.
Sluggish, as in "Microsoft Word is very sluggish", or "Compared to Linux, Windows runs sluggishly".
Merriam-Webster:
1
averse to activity or exertion :indolent; also :torpid
2
slow to respond (as to stimulation or treatment)
3
a :markedly slow in movement, flow, or growth
b :economically inactive or slow — sluggishly adverb — sluggishness noun
We could say "it runs like a dog".
On phrases.org.uk:
Re the phrase - "my computer is 'running like a dog'". I understand this to mean that my computer is running very slowly. Anything that is 'running like a dog' means it is slow.
On the ELU SE:
I've used the phrase "runs like a dog" to mean that my car is on its last legs and can't, sometimes, run anywhere near as fast as a dog can.
In the New Partridge Dictionary of Slang, the phrase is said to be Australian slang for "to run or perform slowly", but it is fairly widely used in the UK too.
Other examples:
checked sooo many times new crank shaft sensor and pick up, new tandem pump (old one leaking) ran of seperate fuel supply all no good, no codes stored[,] it thinks its running fine but its running like a dog, let it go cold again and eveything is fine till it hits temp then back to running like a dog (ross-tech.com)
Is eBay running like a drunk slug? ... Yep its running like a dog for me too. Griffin DSL 8Meg, the ebay pages are running at dial up speed tonight.... (pistonheads)
WTF are you guys doing? I've spent about 2800 hours in Ark, way too much, I've seen a lot of patches. This is quite possibly your worst patch ever. 10 mini patches in a day! So many server crash bugs fixed, and you still havent got them all, our server is crashing constantly. You've ruined fps somehow, it[']s running like a dog. (steamcommunity discussion)
In my experience as a software engineer and avid gamer, there isn't a word we can use like that to denote that software is slow an all contexts, except the word slow itself.
The words / phrases I hear commonly used to describe / convey that software is slow are:
Example Phrases:
"The internet is really crawling today. It took more than fifteen seconds to load this page."
"Windows really crawls compared with Linux."
Americans may call that software poky:
Merriam-Webster quotes a technical use of the verb form:
The maximum reported download speed was 93 Mbps; the upload max was a far pokier 8 Mbps, which would help explain the snags with the FaceTime calls.
By example, one might say "Windows is pokier than Linux" or "Microsoft Word is poky."
While I might also use sluggish, I reserve poky for derisive needs: poky denotes the slowness is annoying, while sluggish merely states a fact (being "slug-like").
From a cultural perspective, I learned this word when I was very young, from the book The Poky Little Puppy. In the book, the titular character lags behind the others, taking its time to observe. According to Wikipedia,
As of 2001, The Poky Little Puppy was the single all-time best-selling hardcover children's book in the U.S., having sold nearly 15 million copies.
Since so many American children have read this book, and have associated the word poky with slow, it's reasonable to assume an American audience would fully understand its usage in this form.
However, note that when describing a place, poky also means small and cramped. Apparently to "English" English speakers, the "small and cramped" definition also applies to vehicles. While I feel poky conveys the derision you're wanting from the Russian тормоз, you have to be aware that readers from different regions may recognize this word from its other definitions.
In this particular context I would say that the nearest equivalent word is bloated. "Windows is bloated" not only conveys the fact that Windows is slow, but also accurately describes why Windows is so slow.
Software professionals frequently use the word bloated to describe software that is very slow because it is too big and fat, usually because it is over engineered or has a lot of legacy baggage.
For slang, potato or potato quality is becoming more popular. It is usually used to refer to old or out of date hardware that works poorly, but can be used to refer to software as well. To refer to software specifically, use phrases like "runs like a potato". The idea is that the thing you're referring to is so outdated or low tech that it may as well be a potato.
It's most often used to refer to cameras, microphones, or video recording equipment.
For example, to say that a picture was taken with an old phone:
"Sorry about the terrible photo, I took it with a potato."
тормозconsidered rude word in this context.