Author: Dave Scotese 2018-09-22 01:49:47
Published on: 2018-09-22T01:49:47+00:00
The author has been working on an idea to relieve full nodes from storing the entire blockchain. They propose that if "enough" people agree that a UTXO set is valid at a certain block height and that set is recognizable by humans, then the blockchain up to that point can be ditched. This would save storage and make it easier to run a full node. The author also asks if anyone can tell them how to get a UTXO set from the Bitcoin client and offers $50 of Bitcoin as a reward. The author also discusses trust in third parties and mentions that generally, large composite groups are trusted so that no small group or individual can profit from cheating. They welcome any concerns or offers of help. Additionally, the author shares a memorable experience they created using the game of life with block 542324 of the Bitcoin blockchain. They wrote a script for the open-source Game-of-Life software Golly and shared it in a paste at https://pastebin.com/k5Ssc0qk. They offer $50 of Bitcoin to anyone who can provide the UTXO set needed to create a recognizable checkpoint for the Bitcoin blockchain and $50 to anyone who runs Golly and shares a video of the game playing out into the apron-shaped image. In conclusion, the author hopes that more people will start running full nodes without the hassle of long waits and loads of storage space. They envision this being possible in a few decades when the blockchain has grown to a few terabytes and the UTXO set is still just a few gigabytes.
Updated on: 2023-05-20T17:45:35.307059+00:00