Twitter's been rolling out a number of changes lately, many resulting in negative reactions, but it looks like one feature long-requested by users is just around the corner: the ability to download all of your past tweets. Twitter CEO Dick Costolo spoke today at a conference for the Online News Association, and was asked when the ability would be coming to Twitter. According to both Alex Howard and First Post, Costolo replied that it would be arriving by the end of the year.

"When can we download all of our tweets?"-@emilybell "Before the end of the year"-@dickc, with a caveat on an engineer's capability. #ONA12 — Alex Howard (@digiphile) September 21, 2012

According to Reuters, Costolo also defended the company's recent API changes — including user limit restrictions for third-party Twitter clients — saying that Twitter had to take steps after it realized other companies were making money off the service without adding "accretive value." Nothing that he was also a "huge believer in syndication," however, the CEO also outlined a new tool Twitter will be releasing that will allow third-parties to aggregate and publish groups of tweets, such as those written in connection with a breaking news event.

No timeline was provided for the curation tool, but it's clear that the company has no intention of slowing down in its rapid revamp strategy, no matter what outcry there may be from its long-term users. Perhaps the addition of downloadable tweets — which Costolo first mentioned to the New York Times this past July — will be seen as a gesture of goodwill towards those frustrated with the company's recent moves.