Author: Robert Backhaus 2012-12-05 10:19:16
Published on: 2012-12-05T10:19:16+00:00
In an email conversation, Gary Rowe expressed his thoughts on the user experience of SPV clients. According to him, users expect an "instant-on" experience when using Bitcoin, and SPV clients deliver on that expectation. He believes that once users have a great initial experience, their interest in Bitcoin is reinforced, and they tend to explore further into the economic theory behind it. Many decide to install the full node out of a sense of community contribution to the security of the network. Rowe suggests that having a hybrid mode of SPV first then full node second should be something that a user has control over, as Bitcoin should not be perceived as a drain on their computing resources. He also proposes the idea of always distributing the client with a checkpoint that is only days old, then starting by pulling in more recent blocks, so it can transact. Following that, it will pull in progressively older blocks as time permits. This allows the client to work out-of-the-box and slowly get up-to-speed with the full network, working at low priority or not at all if it detects a slow system or network link.
Updated on: 2023-06-06T09:31:54.343605+00:00