You have a point, but Bitcoin started with an understanding that 1 satoshi was the minimum.
0.01 was actually the minimum available in software at the start.
Now, we're being told that the limit is 5340 satoshis, with no free-market input on the matter.
And Satoshi also added mandatory fees for transactions producing outputs under 0.01.
It's rather disappointing. Individuals should be able to decide what size of transaction is too small - we shouldn't all be forced to suddenly abide by the same arbitrary rule.
They do.
This is a terrible idea, IMO. Miners and full nodes should be able to decide which transactions to relay and include in blocks, and which transactions to not. An option to set a minimum amount per output or transaction should be built in to the client. So miners, if they believe transactions below a certain size to be dust, should set the option to not propagate transactions below that certain size.
Uh. You realize your "should" are describing the change here, right?
Yes, but there is no choice in the matter (as far as I am aware). Will there be an option where I can set what transaction amounts I wish to propogate and what transaction amounts I wish to block?
There is. It's just set off the configuration option that sets the amount of fee treated as zero. As I've been saying over and over and over again.
True, but then those miners will receive no future updates. If 0.8.2 and onward include this patch, then those who disagree with the patch will be forever left on 0.8.1.
No, it's a freeking commandline setting.