Vitalik Buterin Explores the Balance Between Complexity and Simplicity in Ethereum’s Evolution
Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum’s co-creator, recently discussed the ongoing debate within the Ethereum community about the future direction of the protocol.
The discussion revolves around whether to add functionality directly to the Ethereum protocol, known as “enshrining,” or to extend it through Layer 2 solutions like rollups. Buterin emphasized that this debate goes beyond just scaling and encompasses various functionalities such as digital asset exchange, privacy, usernames, advanced cryptography, account safety, censorship resistance, and frontrunning protection. Ethereum originally adopted a minimalist philosophy, aiming to provide a clean and simple protocol, leaving most development to users.
However, Buterin acknowledged that this philosophy has evolved, with discussions on potentially beneficial protocol implementations like account abstraction, zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machines (EVMs), private mempools, and liquid staking. Buterin noted that while approaching the enshrinement of features in the protocol with caution, blockchains are “social systems,” and certain functionalities may justify inclusion due to blockchain-specific characteristics. However, to maintain its efficiency and simplicity, one should also avoid overloading the protocol with excessive features. This discussion aligns with Buterin’s previous warning about preserving Ethereum’s minimalism in the face of expanding consensus scope.
Clever Robot News Desk 3rd October 2023
