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Topic: Size of BTC blockchain centuries from now... - page 5. (Read 10790 times)

legendary
Activity: 1400
Merit: 1005
September 14, 2012, 01:50:15 PM
#7
I expect that in 200 years 10 terabytes of storage will cost a few pennies.

Okay, I should have been more accurate in forming my thought.
Besides, just storage... there is bandwidth, HD (device speed), probably RAM is somehow also intertwined to search the transaction history, etc...


Then there's the option of a lite client that doesn't require downloading the blockchain.
hero member
Activity: 490
Merit: 500
... it only gets better...
September 14, 2012, 01:41:26 PM
#6
I expect that in 200 years 10 terabytes of storage will cost a few pennies.

Okay, I should have been more accurate in forming my thought.
Besides, just storage... there is bandwidth, HD (device speed), probably RAM is somehow also intertwined to search the transaction history, etc...

legendary
Activity: 1652
Merit: 2301
Chief Scientist
September 14, 2012, 01:35:59 PM
#5
Right now, there is a hard-coded limit of 1 megabyte per block.

If we assume that limit never changes, that gives:
 1MB per block * 6 blocks per hour * 24*365.25*200 = 10,519,200 MB

... or 10.5 terabytes for the maximum size of the entire blockchain over the next 200 years (somebody check my math, I'm really good at dropping zeroes).

I expect that in 200 years 10 terabytes of storage will cost a few pennies.


Now whether or not that 1 megabyte per block limit should go away is hotly debated, and will be debated more and more as transaction volume increases.
hero member
Activity: 490
Merit: 500
... it only gets better...
September 14, 2012, 01:33:54 PM
#4
In 1980 a 26 MB hard drive cost ~$5,000 (or $193,000,000 per TB).
Obviously angry birds isn't viable.  I mean who is going to spend a couple hundred dollars in storage on a free game. Smiley

Well, you are assuming here that storage space/bandwidth will increase at the same rate as the number of transactions. I guess there is an equilibrium point somewhere here. Bitcoin just have to wait until better tech comes around. So technically, if there is no better tech, Bitcoins fucked.
legendary
Activity: 1092
Merit: 1016
760930
September 14, 2012, 01:29:56 PM
#3
Other clients than Bitcoin-Qt are available, not all of which require the full blockchain: dre.redmartian.org/compare.htm
donator
Activity: 1218
Merit: 1079
Gerald Davis
September 14, 2012, 01:17:51 PM
#2
In 1980 a 26 MB hard drive cost ~$5,000 (or $193,000,000 per TB).
Obviously angry birds isn't viable.  I mean who is going to spend a couple hundred dollars in storage on a free game. Smiley
hero member
Activity: 490
Merit: 500
... it only gets better...
September 14, 2012, 01:10:42 PM
#1
Hello, I am sitting here and downloading the transaction history in order to test the wallet I had backed up months ago. Let me tell you, it's been two days already and a major pain in the ass. But anyway, this got me thinking if we approach the future where BTC transaction are going to increase (exponetionally or not) does the blockchain size eventually become infinite? Also, how in the world people who can't afford equipment that can process large data, would benefit from BTC?

Thanks for answers!
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