Given that the Finder is one of the most heavily-used applications in any user's arsenal this presents a bit of a problem. Learn to use all of Mac OS X's shortcuts and tricks for opening and organizing files. Finally, and most obviously, take the time to set up the Finder exactly as you want it. Under Mac OS X things are different. Apps like Photoshop are Classic apps and they can take more than a minute to launch if the Classic environment is not already running.
People pass the time counting the number of dock bounces an app takes to launch.
One is that many apps are slow to launch. I have used many Unix operating systems over the years, and although they boast amazing stability and reliability, their launch times are often disappointing. Obviously, if apps take ages to launch then we shouldn't launch them often. Unlike Mac OS 9, Mac OS X's modern virtual memory system should enable you to leave as many apps running at once as you please. And because each app operates in a protected memory environment there are no stability issues to be fearful about with so many apps running at the same time.