I have an idea.

[lightlord]

When you download the block chain it takes hours, and someone I know it taken the person several days to download it.
Which is too long. Why not make a block chain server, and make all bitcoin clients connect to it.
After all bitcoins need the internet, to make transfers.

We all connect to a blockchain.net, and we keep 2.5 Giga byte of data on there.
It would save thousands of giga byte of data. And everyone wouldn't need to keep a copy of it.

Why not this?

This would make all clients more snappy, fast to download, great for the average joe,
Its an idea. thoughts?

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[cbeast]

That's sort of what "lite" clients do, such as Electrum.

[Third Way]

De-centralization is the whole point of bitcoins.

[lightlord]

why doesn't http://bitcoin.org/ do that?
Or incorporate that into all there clients?
This would make it easier for the average joe, or more convenient

[Uncurlhalo]

There is an argument about this point. Decentralizing the network is important but your average joe doesn't have time for the whole blockchain just to use his bitcoins. Thus alternative clients which do exactly as you describe are in development. One is called Electrum and functions exactly this way. The idea is that advanced and experienced users download standard client and help decentralize the network and your average, or "noob", user can utilize the clients with central authority servers.

[Third Way]

Because then the download for the client would be HUEG.

[greyhawk]

why doesn't http://bitcoin.org/ do that?
Or incorporate that into all there clients?
This would make it easier for the average joe, or more convenient

Because, as mentioned, it is completely contrary to the design philosophy of Bitcoin itself.

Of course that brings us back to how Bitcoin was never really intended to be rolled out to the Random Q. Consumer in this form, but is instead only a proof of concept. But that opens a whole nother can of worms that no one wants to hear about.

[lightlord]

Because then the download for the client would be HUEG.

The whole point of this, is to not make it huge?
Its already 2.5 Giga, for the block chain.
Instead you download a 10 MB file of the wallet.
And it associates or connects to a network,
on the server.

That eliminates the need for this download,
and its virtually instantaneous

[drakahn]

that would be a central point of failure/control

[Uncurlhalo]

Because then the download for the client would be HUEG.

The whole point of this, is to not make it huge?
Its already 2.5 Giga, for the block chain.
Instead you download a 10 MB file of the wallet.
And it associates or connects to a network,
on the server.

That eliminates the need for this download,
and its virtually instantaneous

If you still have misgivings about the current clients setup speed wait for 0.8 to be released. They have implemented things to reduce the time it takes to write the blockchain to the computer.  With the new versions you can basically "set it and forget it" and come back within the same day and be done.

[Foxpup]

Light clients and web wallets already do exactly this. You and average Joe are free to use them if you want, and other people are free to not use them and run a full node instead if they want. That's decentralisation at work.

[underminer]

I keep a backup of the most current file on flash drive to speed up "catch up" times on new wallets.