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Is it necessary to run a "full node" including port forwarding in order to solo mine Bitcoin without any involvement of a pool? I see that pools are offering solo mining as an option, but why would I trust them to not take my 25 BTC? I am willing to free up 30GB for the blockchain data on my hard drive.
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Are you aware how much hashing power you need to stand a chance to solo mine? In case you don't the rest of the answer is moot and you'll need to study the topic of mining some more.
Yes you'll need a full node. You don't necessarily need port-forwarding though. Full node means you validate the full blockchain and has nothing to do with network connectivity.
A full node is more like 60GB disk space at the moment and will likely be >100GB within a year.
Yes I do understand but the amount of money that a miner can earn in a pool is extremely small without $2000 hardware, so really for the hobbyist the days of mining with the intent of playing the game the usual way are over; therefore what is left is treating mining like a smalltime lottery. – bitcoy – 2015-12-19T01:43:26.610
That's one way to do it. Have you calculated your odds? – Jannes – 2015-12-19T03:57:31.320
No I expect the odds are terrible. but with 10 GH/s hashing ability I can only earn from a pool 50 cents per month anyway. – bitcoy – 2015-12-19T17:34:58.300
"but why would I trust them to not take my 25 BTC" what do you mean by this? Any way you can clarify further? – Charles S – 2015-12-18T17:01:29.320
1@CharlesS He means the pool operator can steal his 25 BTC reward, I guess. – Jannes – 2015-12-19T00:00:12.220
1if the pool is located in a foreign country then there is no transparency, no accountability, and no guarantee of justice if the pool steals coins – bitcoy – 2015-12-19T01:45:08.473