hmm Well I just connected quickly, on Mac.

I noticed you posted here via Optimum Online. They have had a past history of blocking LW in some of their areas of operation. If this is all happening in your area & all are using the same ISP, this 'might' be why.
Check OOL here http://www.gnutellaforums.com/connec...-limewire.html perhaps experimenting with connecting to a high range port 'might' fix this. Worth a try. Let's hope they are not using another filtering technique if they are responsible for your connection problems.

I guess proxy is always a possibility but not easy & can be unreliable. Tor is supposedly very good. http://www.gnutellaforums.com/connec...imewire-3.html