so apps restore on there own? how? how long does it take?
If you open market hit menu then downloads there's a list of apps you have purchased or downloaded. every since I flashed 2.2 on the og droid these apps have been the first to auto install themselves when I did a fresh install. I think it was a part of 2.2 but I'm not sure. May have been a market update that allows this. It works well although I recommend you be on a wifi connection to help speed the process along cause all the apps start downloading simultaneously and on the 3G that could take a while. That's why i usually flash roms at home on my network. On a side note I have some apps in the download section I paid for but no longer have installed. those particular ones do not restore.
I don't speak for everyone, but the above is what my droids do.