Slow launch causes inadvertent delete of icons

The new version is slow to respond compared to the earlier version, even though I'm using the same memory settings as before. Many times I click on an icon to launch a program and move my mouse to the center of the screen in preparation for working in the program (as a habit), but what happens is that Object Docks is SLOW to recognize the click, but what it recognizes is a drag and drop instead!!! So I end up inadvertently deleting the icon from my dock! And I have to painstakingly recreate the shortcut again! Nuts! This is just so exasperating and time-wasting, I'm thinking of going back to the previous version.

I only use a single zooming dock and it uses up 8 MB of RAM, whereas the previous version with the same settings and number of icons used only around 6 MB. what gives?