It is a security feature that has no reason to change. Protection of the blockchain is vital. If you do not want to suffer the powerdown, do not power up.
The long powerdown reduces the incentive for exchanges to get involved in governance.
Also, with the emergence of HBD, it is crucial that HIVE be as resistant to manipulation as possible. Reducing the power down time increases that.
Posted Using LeoFinance Beta
Exactly this. New folks see it as a burden, and I get that... but like, imagine how things would have gone if we had a 3 day / two week powerdown while the whole Steem fiasco was going down! It'd have been an even bigger shitshow than it was.