Headers-First Synchronization Coming Soon to Bitcoin Core
Bitcoin developer Pieter Wuille posted a request for review and testing of a large change that he's been working on for Bitcoin Core: headers-first synchronization. The change has been in the works for about a year and will, hopefully, be released in 0.10 within the next month or two. It affects the way the best chain is discovered, downloaded and verified. This mode of operation has been known for years, but it took a long time to implement. The code works by replacing the single-peer blocks download by a single-peer headers download (which typically takes seconds/minutes) and....
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On February 16th, 2015, version 0.10.0 of Bitcoin Core was released. This update brings a whole new set of features and changes to improve the way Bitcoin Core is used. Upgrading is easy. First, you will be asked to shut down a previous versions that are running, if applicable. Then, run the new installer, and you are good to go. Do note that because the new release takes advantage of headers-first synchronization and downloading blocks in parallel, it is not backward compatible with older versions of Bitcoin Core. Like mentioned above, the new Bitcoin Core version 0.10.0 is a major....
Bitcoin.org announced that the new bitcoin core version 0.11.0 is already ready for downloading. Users may also opt to upgrade the previous 0.10.0 version to access new features and implement bug fixes. To upgrade, users simply need to shut down the older version then run the installer, which is compatible for both Windows and Mac. Downgrading to older versions are still possible but there might be compatibility issues with versions earlier than 0.10.0 because of the headers-first synchronization and parallel block download features. Bitcoin Core Version Changes. In particular, downgrading....
The Bitcoin Core development team released version 0.1 of its wallet software packages for all platforms this morning. The wallet was made available via the BitTorrent protocol, specifically to better serve regions of the world where Bitcoin.org official servers are either banned or hard to access. Among the goodies bundled in the new release were faster block transfer and a new way of setting transaction fees (details follow). Faster Block Chain Sync. The new wallet drastically improves the speed of the initial block chain synchronization. This method is called "headers first," and....
ConsenSys, a blockchain technology company, and Ethereum have developed BTC Relay, an Ethereum contract that allows Ethereum users to pay with bitcoin. Servicing as a bridge between Ethereum and bitcoin, BTC Relay is a tool for developers who want to verify bitcoin transactions for Ethereum and smart contract applications. Community members, called Relayers, provide BTC Relay with new bitcoin block headers generated by bitcoin miners. Ethereum app developers can make API calls to BTC Relay from smart contracts to verify bitcoin network activities. Anyone can join the Ethereum network and....
Some Bitcoin Core users are speculating Bitcoin Unlimited will "copy" this feature soon. One of the main issues people have with the Bitcoin Core client is how slow it works. To be more specific, synchronizing the blockchain takes up quite a lot of time. Developers have found a way to speed up this process by as much as 48%. It appears the new Bitcoin Core client packs quite some punch and solves some lingering issues. All things considered, a positive development that will make quite a few people happy. According to a Reddit post, the Bitcoin Core 0.14.0 client is quite....