Some people hate it, others love it. Same as any new version that comes along.

Personally, I don't like it much. But it's here to stay. And heaps of people are going to be installing it & coming here asking for help with using it. And so we're going to help them to use it if that's what they want to do
Actually, I don't believe that there are any more connection or search problems associated with LW 5 than there were/are with 4.18.8. Search the forum & you'll see that loads of people had/have both issues with 4.18.8.

Reverting to an older version is probably going to be the answer for quite a few people (just as it is whenever a new version is released).
If you're going to keep advising people to revert to an older version, it might be wise to check whether they have current Pro benefits or have a legitimate copy of Pro... and then offer advice about how those people can download a 4.18.8 Pro, as well as offering a link to a basic version.