Add --timeout=N to customise timeout waiting for replies

[Cal-A]

Every time poclbm goes to check for strata, bitcoin-qt freezes for about twenty seconds, using 100% of one CPU core, before returning to work. By that point, poclbm's five-second timeout has elapsed and it gives up waiting. It doesn't seem to try again afterwards, so it's left in an infinite loop of poclbm waiting for work that never comes.

Would it be possible to either extend that timeout by default, or better yet, add the option to customise it on the commandline, please?

I've annotated a commandline output to hopefully explain what I mean better:

    31/05/2013 10:58:14, Setting server (XXXXXX @ 10.0.XXX.XXX:8332)
    10.0.XXX.XXX:8332 31/05/2013 10:58:51, checking for stratum...
(bitcoin-qt freezes here)
    10.0.XXX.XXX:8332 31/05/2013 10:58:56, no response to getwork, using as stratum
    10.0.XXX.XXX:8332 31/05/2013 10:59:06, Failed to subscribe
    10.0.XXX.XXX:8332 31/05/2013 10:59:08, IO errors - 1, tolerance 1
(bitcoin-qt unfreezes and would respond at this point if poclbm were still listening)
    10.0.XXX.XXX:8332 31/05/2013 10:59:18, Failed to subscribe
    10.0.XXX.XXX:8332 31/05/2013 10:59:20, IO errors - 2, tolerance 1
    10.0.XXX.XXX:8332 31/05/2013 10:59:20, No more backup pools left. Using primary and starting over.
    10.0.XXX.XXX:8332 31/05/2013 10:59:20, Setting server (XXXXXX @ 10.0.XXX.XXX:8332)
    10.0.XXX.XXX:8332 31/05/2013 10:59:30, Failed to subscribe
    10.0.XXX.XXX:8332 31/05/2013 10:59:32, IO errors - 1, tolerance 1
(these messages repeat ad infinitum)