Testing the 0.5.0 in Linux, I see a strange behaviour:

1- Open qt-client, blockchain stops the downloading at 10%... Wait 30 minutes... not reach 11%...

2- Close and reopen the qt-client, blockchain start again at 0%... Normal!?

3- Now the download of the blockchain is working, reach 15% and growing...

I've noticed this same behavior with 0.5 release candidates. I remember seeing it with 0.4 also, so I think it's not a regression. I haven't yet pinned down the cause. It would be nice to fix; especially for those downloading the blockchain for the first time.

Also, where can I find the number of connections using new Bitcoin-QT?

Hover over the signal icon in the lower right corner. The icon looks like a cellphone signal indicator. The number of connections is displayed in a tooltip.

Michael