Indeed, the problem was Snap (as it had been Flatpak on Mint). It finally just a matter of uninstalling the Snap Bitcoin Core package, and manually installing from the Bitcoin.org tar.gz file. I can't believe the massie waste of time and the stupid amount of grief and frustration that this piece of shit software has caused me.
It's a totally clean install, no weird directories and commands, no mess. Everything has the right name and is found in the right place and as a consequence even a layman like myself can get the job done by simply following the documentation and the freely available info online.
I instantly found the correct bitcoin.conf file under the correct directory, edited it to point at the already fully downloaded and synched datadir on my external SSD, and added/uncommented all the necessary extra settings. All flawless, no extra blocks directory in the wrong place, no conflicting config files.
As a matter of fact, with the clean install I haven't even checked if Bitcoin QT works, because all I ever really wanted was to be able to run bitcoind as a service.
I got my Wasabi wallet set up and in order, the node daemon is chugging along and set up to start up automatically, Proton VPN too. All running smoothly over tor (as is this browser now, although Cloudfare is kind of a pain in the ass).
Because Sparrow was continuously nagging me about using Electrum PS, I was studying how to do that next, but it's a bit confusing with all the forks and the multiple github repos and whatnot so I wasn't even sure which one is "the right one". In the end, having switched over to Wasabi, it's become a moot conversation. Ditto the idea of running a local instance of mempool dot space, which I just learnt requires humongous amounts of disk, so I've given up on that too. Probably better for my mental sanity overall.
Anyhow, the main task is done now and I can finally say I'm doing my part for the network.
cc collinizer (nprofile…du2k)
FYI if you're thinking about running your own Bitcoin Core node, as of today, the full datadir is taking up 760.5 GB of space on an SSD.
I would have sworn it was like 600 not that long ago, just earlier this year. (I may be wrong).
Also, on Ubuntu, do whatever you must to avoid installing this MF through Snap. It fucks up all the names, paths, directories and commands. It's just not worth it and now that I have successfully synched the blockchain in full, I'm going to nuke it and reinstall it properly.
I don't understand how Bitcoin.org puts that Snap shit out there as a legit option, if after that ZERO of the documents and help cover its many specifics at all. Even on forums and other internet sources, it's very rare to find any references at all.
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