A "quick start" option for bitcoin.

[Bitcoin Oz]

If the latest blockchain was included in the initial download and users could choose to install it along with bitcoin would that save a long wait to use the software ? Advanced users would aways want to do it the normal way but for casual users it might be a godsend.

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[notme]

If the latest blockchain was included in the initial download and users could choose to install it along with bitcoin would that save a long wait to use the software ? Advanced users would aways want to do it the normal way but for casual users it might be a godsend.

I agree offering a package with the blockchain included would be helpful as long as "updgrade" packages without it are also available.

[jago25_98]

it's already mirrored but it should be available as a one click button option on install too

[Herodes]

I have yet another suggestion, might kind of be against the decentralized nature of bitcoin, but anyway, here goes:

It could be bitcoin.org or another site that creates a bitcoin client (must be trustworthy), there could be a built in feature to use remote data hosted on a server, untill the download of the blockchain has completed on the client side, and then the client will continue using downloaded local data.

In Summary:

1. User downloads and installs client
2. Bitcoin client can be used straight away, in the beginning it's using remote data, and when necessary data is downloaded, it starts using the local data.

This would solve the problem of having to wait to download the entire blockchain before you can get or send btc. Downloading the blockchain can take quite some time, depending on your internet connection.

This solution would only be used in the beginning of the user using the bitcoin client, when blockchain is up to date, usage will continue as normal, and remote centralized data will no longer be used.

[Bitcoin Oz]

I have yet another suggestion, might kind of be against the decentralized nature of bitcoin, but anyway, here goes:

It could be bitcoin.org or another site that creates a bitcoin client (must be trustworthy), there could be a built in feature to use remote data hosted on a server, untill the download of the blockchain has completed on the client side, and then the client will continue using downloaded local data.

In Summary:

1. User downloads and installs client
2. Bitcoin client can be used straight away, in the beginning it's using remote data, and when necessary data is downloaded, it starts using the local data.

This would solve the problem of having to wait to download the entire blockchain before you can get or send btc. Downloading the blockchain can take quite some time, depending on your internet connection.

This solution would only be used in the beginning of the user using the bitcoin client, when blockchain is up to date, usage will continue as normal, and remote centralized data will no longer be used.

Thats almost a "streamingcoin" like how hulu and other video sites do video streaming.

Just like video streaming youd have a "buffer".

[wumpus]

This has been answered many times: the downloading of the data is not what takes so much time. P2P block download is pretty fast.

It is the block chain verification process, done in tandem with the download, that takes time and should be optimized. The transactions are checked, ECDSA signatures are verified and written to the database. It seems to be I/O (disk!) bound currently, so this will need some serious profiling effort.

You cannot circumvent this by packaging the block chain with the client, as it still needs to be consistency-checked before it can be trusted. Doing otherwise would be contrary to the decentralized approach of bitcoin, thus the official client will never do this.

Btw, if you want a really quick start you should not be running a full node in the first place: look at alternative, thin clients such as Electrum.

[Gabi]

What about using more RAM?

Blockchain is like a GB and something big, just put as much as possible/everything on RAM and i/o problem solved. I see no point in having the hard disk crunch for hours while using only 50MB or so of RAM.
Maybe do so only when you have to download all the blockchain (current client know how much blocks have the blockchain and how much the client still have to download...so it's doable) and not like getting just the last days/weeks... and maybe put some buttons in Options... (ah, buttons... GUI... i would like a decent GUI... but alas, we can't even a wallet with a different name than wallet.dat...)

[wumpus]

Please implement those things and send a pull request. Thanks.