Vitalik Buterin on Ethereum's 'Roads Not Taken'
Ethereum today has resulted from previous choices, decisions that were constrained by resources and "brain cycles" and implementations where sometimes it was worth waiting for "perfect" and other times when "good enough" sufficed.
Ethereum could have been less complex, Buterin writes. Its virtual machine could have used existing code rather than a bespoke solution. Its developers could have gone with a crude version of proof-of-stake (the consensus algorithm that will eventually secure Ethereum) that existed in 2013. Ethereum could have been "more Bitcoin-like," Buterin said, referencing that first blockchain, which aims to do one thing well – serve as a global, peer-to-peer settlements layer denominated in a secure, digital bearer-asset, BTC.
"In general, it sometimes feels to me like Ethereum's biggest challenges come from balancing between two visions – a pure and simple blockchain that values safety and simplicity, and a highly performant and functional platform for building advanced applications," Buterin wrote.
Ethereum initially wanted to become the "world computer," or a decentralized platform, powered by cryptocurrency to execute any conceivable application. Today, Ethereum supports a multibillion-dollar economy, attracts some of the world's smartest computer scientists and is the wellspring from which a number of novel computer "primitives" surface.
This balancing act between elegant design and complexity is complicated by Ethereum's being an open network. It exists so anyone with an idea and sufficient capital can build their dream applications or chase a quick buck.
Ethereum is often criticized within the crypto industry, especially by bitcoiners, for its hierarchy of developers. There are certainly people and organizations with sway over Ethereum, but the network is arguably democratic. Or, at the very least, its oligopoly exists in the open.
When Buterin speaks, people listen. Earlier this month, Time magazine ran a cover story about Buterin, where he suggested he would take a more defined leadership role going forward. "One of the decisions I made in 2022 is to try to be more risk-taking and less neutral," Buterin said. "I would rather Ethereum offend some people than turn into something that stands for nothing."
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–Daniel Kuhn
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