As the ether blockchain it close to 1TB. Will the nem main net get that large? If so, is the a way to limit that size and keep the full history of the chain?
Other blockchains have dealt with this issue by removing messages and other extra content. If you ignore the need to keep a full history then adding in a checkpoint to the ‘official’ apps can limit the size of the blockchain. Also consider that only full nodes in NEM with the option of Full history being set have a history past a certain number of blocks. I think Big Alice has full history and it eats far too much cpu/ram to keep it updated.
So short answer, over time all blockchains increase in size provided they keep a full history on chain.
As far as steps to fix this, checkpoints are the normal method, but this assumes a central authority. Keeping the full blockchain has a few security bonuses that keep people from double spending. Hope that helps. A more technical answer can be given by the devs if they notice the thread.
The ether db is only that huge cause it stores every historical account state in its db.
P.S. you can always @mention devs