Bitcoin Forum

Just read this on Buybitcoin.com...

Should I download and use the Bitcoin app on my computer?
No. We do NOT recommend that you use the Bitcoin App (the program you can download).
    It's not safe.
    It's not reliable.
    It's not for non-technical users.

Is this true? If I use their 'instawallet' instead (yuk, I hate insta...) then I guess I'm relying on them as a clearing bank and undermining the p2p nature of bitcoins. What's the real story?

I love the bitcoin app, it is simple, and easy to use. Plus you can have complex features if need be, like sock4 proxy. I think you should use the bitcoin app, the first time start up and downloading all the blocks is a pain, but after that it is great! Plus your giving back to the bitcoin community using the bitcoin application allows you to be a node on the network and this helps with transactions and downloading blocks.

If you're on Windows or Linux, but want a safe, but lighter alternative to the Bitcoin client (no blockchain download required!), you can also try out Electrum... I bet you'll like it! :)

I've also started to maintain a quick comparison chart (http://dre.tx0.org/compare.htm) for Bitcoin wallet clients for the desktop. Hopefully it will help you choose what's best for you. All the clients listed in the chart are open source and recommended by the official bitcoin.org website (at that page (http://bitcoin.org/clients.html))

just one issue with your chart, the section, technically Multi-bit or Electrum don't have any sync. Electrum just queries it's server to get the lastest blockchain information and multi-bit just doesn't worry about blockchain before the address were created. So honestly that isn't syncing it more of how they handle the blockchains.

Hi MarryP,
I do not share this opinion about the client. There are some safety concerns, as there would be with any software designed to hold money. However turning your BTC over to some website is not a good mitigation strategy.
You may consider keeping most of your bitcoin in a standard client wallet stored on a USB stick. Then keep the few coins you may spend in an online wallet. Sort of like a checking vs. savings account.

Thanks for your feedback. Electrum and MultiBit DO sync some data to an extent, but not the full blockchain like Bitcoin-Qt does.
I have updated my chart to make the distinction clearer (renamed 'fast sync' to 'fast initial setup' and added a new 'local blockchain validation' row)