Ubuntu 20.04 update destroyed Java/Mysql app performance
The MySQL JDBC driver default behavior apparently changed when updating the OS.
The previous driver turned off transaction auto commits for Java batch updates - manually adding/running setAutoCommit(false)
on the data connection dropped the run time back to normal (apparently it was running atomic transactions for 1000 some inserts).
This is a good example of why people should defensively code and add intentional code even if the default behavior/configuration is what's used in code - the default can and will change!
https://coderanch.com/t/299833/databases/Batch-update-setAutoCommit-false