Gavin Andresen has changed the Bitcoin code to block any output with a value of less than 54uBTC:
Again, I dont understand - how can Gavin change anything, other than what a new release
of a client does -
If I continue to use an older client , why / how would my small transactions be blocked ??
The short answer is Gavin gave us the tools to choose. He gave us free will with regard to bitcoin. Picture a football field filled with 10,000 people, each one keeping track of transactions, Your the guy on the 10 yard line next to the guy in a wheres waldo outfit.
With this change you as an individual can choose what message you will or wont pass on to the people around you. Before the change you didnt have this choice, you didnt have free will. you had to blindly pass on what was given to you.
If enough people choose to not pass on certain transactions the message wont go anywhere even if you send it. But its not as simple as blocking stuff to be mean. its a matter of each individual deciding what is and isnt good to send. If you cant make this choice due to lack of information, they are kind enough to have a default set. (Keep in mind, in versions before 0.8.2, you had no choice in this. Your client had a built in number, you either used it or you didnt use bitcoin.)
This number was set to a default value that fits bitcoin at its current value. That means if you try to send something below that value, the network would ignore it. if its over that value, they pass it on. But everyone can choose what to set, What they will ignore and what they will pass on.
being against the change is being against your ability to choose.