[hyko]

You can run whatever client you want...if it conforms to the design of the protocol.

you wouldn’t be able to replicate a chain of blocks with the same order of magnitude of work behind them...I grant you that, but does it matter? If the client can’t find the real network, how would they know what to expect? You and I would know, because we have a copy of (I hope) the real Bitcoin blockchain...but how do you acquire that knowledge without trusting an entity first?

all you’d be able to do is change history...wouldn’t that mean you could lay claim to whatever you wanted in the eyes of this poor client? Or just harness their hashing power.