Robert, Rei,
thank you for the suggestions it is fixed.
I'm just confirming for others the setup and what fixed it.
I am using the new 0101E0006 although about->Energia still says January though like the last version ?
, osx version 10.6.8, 4gb 1067 Mhz , 2.66 GHz core2duo. mac book pro.
I have had issues with all versions and it's the same if launchpad is plugged in or not.
Once I excluded Energia.app from Sophos startup scan, it starts almost instantly.
in sophos->preferences select "on-access scanning" and then "excluded items"
add /Applications/Energia.app to