[Samba] What makes excel file opening so slow??

[Chan Jason]

Hi list,
 Despite the question I asked last time (I will re-install the FC3
with Samba 3.0.14a on another computer for replacement soon), I still
have one more question on Excel files. I found that Excel file opening
is extremely slow (especially on slow connections, i.e. VPN). The case
is really bad, it takes around 2 mins to open a excel file of around
400k. Actually we got both side having 4M/4M DSL line. One side is
Hong Kong, and the other side is China. However if we build a VPN
inside Hong Kong, it takes 10~20 seconds to open a 400k excel file.
However if I just copy a 400k file, neither of them take such a long
time. Both situation can finish the transmission within some seconds.
So what is so special about opening a excel file, and how can I
improve the speed? Thanks for comments!

Yours sincerely,
Jason Chan