Topic: Bitcoin is being crushed by its own weight (Read 3215 times)

No the typical casual user will use a lite node.  Also I would point out that in e-wallets like blockchain.info your private keys ARE under your direct control.  Blockchain.info only handles the higher level processing (validating tx, calculating balances, submitting tx to the network, parsing blocks for incoming tx, etc).


If the human race keeps doubling every 15 years then in a thousand or so years every square inch of our planet will be covered with humans.  Assuming exponential growth will continue is flawed. 

I reinstalled the Bitcoin wallet today and it took several hours to download the block chain. Most of that time was spent on just the last 30 days of transactions. It is a very poor user experience, and certainly something that a novice will not tolerate. Even worse, if the growth of the block chain continues like this, wallets will eventually be unable to keep up -- even in real-time.

What is the plan?

Is it really that stupid? When the users in the network do more transactions then the miners can take in to process, stuff must get really laggy i guess?

Do you realize how stupid this sounds? 

How difficult is bitcoin to use really ?

Say I want to set up a friend to use MultiBit on a Windows machine, send them some BTC and get them to spend it online.

Let's start with a piping hot cup of coffee that is still too hot for us to drink.

Setup
1) They download an installer from multibit.org's main page, double click it and then it is click-click-click and accept the licence. Done in a couple of minutes.
2) They double click the MultiBit icon. There is a wallet all made for them. Fast catchup ensures they are synced to the network in less than a minute.
3) The first time MultiBit is opened they get a friendly welcome screen.

Get some bitcoin
1) To request some BTC, click on the Request tab. Let's press the Zoom button so that their onscreen QR code fills the screen. This makes it easier for me to zap it with my smartphone.
2) I zap the QR code and then send them some BTC from my phone's bitcoin app.
3) They receive it in a few seconds. I will then explain to them about confirmations and show them the Transactions help with the confirmation icons.

Our coffee has now cooled down enough for us to enjoy at a perfect temperature whilst we wait for the first confirmation.

Spending
1) Say they want to give multibit.org a donation.
2) Go to multibit.org. Click on the donate link or QR code (bottom right).
3) In MultiBit: accept the payment request. Press Send. Confirm the Send.


When encrypted wallets come in, they will have to do 'File | Add Password' and follow a short screen of instructions to encrypt their wallet(s). Then on a Send they must enter the wallet's password.

It is no more difficult to use than online banking.

In order for a typical person to use bitcoin, it will have to be stored in an "account" on some server and not under the direct control of the person.

That was part of the observation in my original post. Unfortunately, that it the same as saying that "cash" is ill-suited for the casual user. In order for a typical person to use bitcoin, it will have to be stored in an "account" on some server and not under the direct control of the person.

I noticed that downloading the last 10% of the block chain (the last 30 or so days) took about 75% of the time. Doesn't this indicate an exponential growth of the size of the block chain, or at least the amount of work needed to process it? And if it continues growing like this, won't the wallet eventually be unable to keep up? Please inform me.

The reality is full nodes are ill-suited for noob or casual users.  Period.  As time goes on that will become more and more obvious.

I wouldn't call it stupid, just uninformed.  Not everyone understands fully how the network works.  It's an opportunity for a teachable moment.

But I have to admit, the size of the blockchain and the lack of a plan for how to deal with it makes me nervous too.

The reality is full nodes are ill-suited for noob or casual users.  Period. 

Do you realize how stupid this sounds? 

Do you realize how stupid this sounds? 

if the growth of the block chain continues like this, wallets will eventually be unable to keep up -- even in real-time.