For a long time, I've resisted building a version of Parmanode for Windoze because I hate it, and because people should get off Windows. On the other hand, most of the people who need help are probably most comfortable Windows. The Linux users can probably manage.
So this is a way to get more people running nodes, and more people's eyes on my "message of the day" propaganda, mwahaha.
The hardest part was interacting with Bill Gate's clunky piece of crap, but also, because I excluded using the Bash language as an option (it required too many steps to set up from the user) - I went with Python.
Python is great, but I had to learn a thing or two to replicate what I was doing with Bash on Linux/Mac. Some things were harder on Python, but some things were easier.
Look at how easy this is...
1. Download the installer file from the website (see image for link)
2. Double-click the download and agree to install.
3. The installer closes and leaves an application shortcut on the desktop with a pretty icon picture.
4. Double click the icon
5. Read some intro menus (dismiss forever by typing "free ross" where prompted).
6. Main menu - select with the keyboard (options highlighted in colour) to add a program.
7. Add Bitcoin. It offers internal vs external drive. If external it'll format if you choose. You can also migrate your own Bitcoin data directory.
8. It'll ask if you want to prune and help you set a value, just type what you want to answer the prompts.
9. A bitcoin.conf file is created in the background with the best settings for your Sparrow Wallet. Modifies some conflicting settings if pruning.
10. Bitcoin downloads, sha256 verifies, gpg verifies with Michael Ford's (Bitcoin Dev) public key, unzips, and moves files to where they need to be.
11. Back from the main menu, you can enter the Bitcoin menu and start Bitcoin. A screen pops up showing the chain syncing. If you close it, Bitcoin gracefully stops. Start it up again and it picks up where it left off. It's convenient for your wallet usage to leave it on, but you don't necessarily have to.
12. Then, from the main menu, you can go to the add_menu and add Sparrow Bitcoin Wallet. It downloads and verifies and unzips, but also, it modifies the configuration file so Sparrow will AUTOMAGICALLY connect to your own Bitcoin Core node.
13. Start sparrow from the sparrow menu.
14. There is a bunch of other cool stuff if you explore the Main menu options.
15. I'll add more apps (eg Mempool, Electrum Server, Electrum wallet, and others, maybe notes and things like that moved across relay type devices ;P) as time goes on, be sure to regularly (daily) update - it doesn't matter if you forget, whenever there's a new version, you'll get a prompt to choose to update, and it's done automatically.
Sounds good? It's 50x better on Linux.
www.parmanode.com/parmanode4win
Screenshot of webpage containing screenshots of the app...
