Q2 being so slowed down compared to QuakeWorld makes a lot of sense when you read that John Carmack _hated_ the bunnyhopping bug in QW, and wanted everyone to be slow moving Terminators walking down hallways.
I'm with you though, I hated it, and my friends and I quickly went back to QW (+ QWTF) after trying Q2 briefly. I did have a soft spot for Rocket Arena 2 in Q2 though, that was fun.