Quote from: Zeglamancer on March 23, 2014, 09:58:04 PM

Disclaimer: I don't have a background in computer science like I assume most of you guys do so forgive me if I sound ignorant

Bitcoin transactions have been too slow for me. It takes at least 20 minutes for a transaction to confirm WITH the standard fee of $0.06 which is already pretty damn high to begin with. Is this a recent development (i.e. blockchain bloat) or is this where Bitcoin is headed?

It takes on average 10 minutes to receive 1 confirmation on a transaction that pays a reasonable transaction fee. This is neither "a recent development" nor "where Bitcoin is headed". It is the intrinsic design of Bitcoin. It is how it has always been, and how it is likely to always be.

"On average" is not a guarantee that any particular block of transactions will be confirmed in exactly 10 minutes. Block solving is a random process, and as such it is possible at times to have a few blocks solved within seconds of each other, or for there to be a period of an hour or more between two blocks.

There are many circumstances where accepting a transaction without confirmations is acceptable. There are other situations where waiting for confirmations is not a burden. If your needs don't fall into either of these categories, then you need to look into third party services that will guarantee faster transactions.