seems like everyone is having this problem all of a sudden (stuck at 'starting connection')
 

never had a connection problem before, everything is set with my firewall, nothing has been changed on my computer, and im stuck at "starting connection" all of a sudden, and im not the only one, when is limewire going to come out and say something is currently wrong with them and not our computers so we stop wasting our time trying to fix our computers when nothing is wrong

The helpers on this forum don't work for LW, we're volunteers. So I can't comment on what LW will say or when.

If you'd like to waste a little (just a little) more time, you could try the fixes in this thread: If LW Will Not Connect

We also sometimes feel like we're wasting our time here, trying to help people. But every time a fix works for someone, it makes all the BS worthwhile:)

There's multiple millions of LimeWire users. So yes, a percentage will have problems. And many of those come here looking for assistance.
FrostWire users had major issues a couple of years ago. Recent problems were identified with LW, but following the above directions by birdy should fix them. :)