In this tip, we are going to apply a simple modification that can help you speed up your Internet connection and optimize page load time. The modification will be made to the nsswitch.conf file and it is valid for Ubuntu, Debian Squeeze & Wheezy.
Open the Terminal and run one of these commands to edit the nsswitch.conf file:
sudo gedit /etc/nsswitch.conf
or
sudo nano /etc/nsswitch.conf
Locate this line:
hosts: files mdns4_minimal [NOTFOUND=return] dns mdns4
And add just below it this line:
hosts: files dns
Save now the file and close it.
You will now see an improvement in your Internet connection speed, but don't expect a major improvement. Good Luck!