Firstly blockchain concepts have been around since the 1970s. I used it for creating a transaction verification file on an IBM 360. T

Will the miners take over Bitcoin? That's the big question, andhe Bitcoin revolution was the decentalisation and replication of this type of verification file. This makes it difficult/impossible to corrupt the historical data.
Can bankers take control? - not if we can support a free and honest  core team.

can bankers create an alternative? Of course they can, but it won't  be the same - maybe they will start including electronic data in the new plastic notes to support their new virtual currencies. one that I'm not qualified to answer.

Is it likely that this process will be simplified in 0.13.1?

I still believe that reducing the block generation time interval is a much more significant improvement.

Has there been any recent discussion about this?

I agree with all of that, and I would like to say thank you for the help you have given me in the past.

Is there a link about this, I've been out of it for a while?

I can remove barriers for you to help me. I use Bitcoin though - not a con-currency.

That's not completely true. If you improve the quality of the posts, and of the active members, then the advertising becomes more valuable. Constantly advertising gambling sites, ponzi schemes, and other low end concepts, not only debases Bitcoin, but it also reflects badly on the forum.

If  a thread gets too big, then I assume it's full of sig spammers, so I just ignore it.

I read some of his recent posts, and it makes me realise that I don't know what is going on over there.

Well it's finished. It took about a month using free public WiFi intermittently.

I don't want to use a light or pruned wallet. I believe in Bitcoin as a payment system, and I want to run a full node to help maintain the system into the future. What I will have to do is to take it away from Windows 10, and use a Linux based system. At the moment, I'm a pretty low activity user, as I'm finding it difficult to persuade other people to support Bitcoin. Hopefully that will change in the not too distant future.

Am I missing something here? If you don't want to maintain the entire blockchain, you can run in pruned mode, and/or not download the segwit records (when they are in general use).

I run a full node, but not 24/7. I'm happy to continue to do this because I believe in Bitcoin. If you want to give me an incentive to continue, then just allow me to send transactions with a lower fee than those who don't run full nodes.

It seems to be taking longer that the blockchain download. With hindsight, I should have used one of my blockchain backups, and rebuilt from that. I'm not sure what caused the initial problem, but I suspect it was related to my using Windows 10, and it's constant messing with my setup. I hope to be more serious about my use of Bitcoin soon, and I believe that I will need to use a Linux based machine for that.

You should be able to run it if you can use pruned mode.

Here is a radical suggestion. Ban all Bitcoin loans.

Toxic debt is destroying the fiat banking system, do we want the same to happen to Bitcoin? If you need a Bitcoin loan, then get a fiat loan, and buy the Bitcoin.

Do you mean financial terrorism? Banking will have changed substantially in 20 years time.

Summa cume Lauda (sic) 

I vote remain - no Bitexit for Lauda

I don't know if this is allowed, but if it is, I'd put a for sale notice with the domain name in your sig.

ISIS may be the enemy of America, but is it is the friend and creation of senior US politicians, and those seeking global control. Why do you think they allow ISIS to invest in US armaments companies, and why does the US buy ISIS oil. They also give arms to the "moderates" who pass them on to ISIS, and several arms drops have been made "accidentally" over ISIS held territory. They also allow ISIS to use US banks for their financial transactions.

Another disgusting American invention.

If America stopped its warmongering we might be able to develop a peaceful world. Doesn't the US realise that their actions against Russia are building it into a formidable economic power in the world. Their sanctions policy has strengthened Russia's influence in the world, and is helping to rebuild their economy. The US warmongering is turning the world against America, and resulting in some countries developing superior weapons. It's time to back off and rebuild the US domestic infrastructure, and to try to reduce domestic debt.