Quote from: jgarzik on December 16, 2013, 02:51:12 PM

Quote from: QuestionAuthority on December 16, 2013, 02:13:09 AM

But what I really want to know is when you guys are going to settle on a way to prune the blockchain and implement it? Why can't full transactions be deleted from storage once all their outputs are spent if they're buried in the chain?

Bitcoin is only zero trust, if you can verify the entire transaction history.

I have zero trust in my bank but every transaction will not need to be verified throughout history. I only keep credit card receipts and bank statements for so many years. Why is the preservation of spent outputs so important that we will continue to allow them to make Bitcoin-Qt unwieldy? I would mind this less if I could see security enhancements that truly protect thin client or zero confirm transactions but I don't.

By the way, thank you for responding and for the hard work you do. I understand how busy you are and appreciate your time. I don't want to seem like a Microsoft customer bitching at a company that's getting rich from my purchases. I began thinking about this again while downloading the blockchain torrent for a friend that I convinced to began using Bitcoin. Every time I sit at a friends desk and explain the operation of the full client the same question pops up. "When will this be done? Can I turn off my computer now?"