Vitalik Buterin Explores Ethereum Protocol Enhancement Strategies
Ethereum's co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, in a blog post dated September 30, 2023, delved into the ongoing discourse around protocol enhancements concerning Layer 1 (L1) and Layer 2 (L2) solutions. Initially, Ethereum was driven by a minimalistic approach, focusing on a simple core protocol while enabling functionalities through protocols built atop it. However, recent discussions have leaned towards incorporating more features into the core protocol to address various needs like digital asset exchange, privacy, and account safety among others.
Early Minimalism Philosophy
The early design aimed for a 'clean, simple and beautiful protocol,' minimizing enshrined logic in transaction processing. This minimalist approach was particularly targeted at addressing scaling and account abstraction. Back in 2015, these concepts were aimed at reducing the protocol's intrinsic complexity, with scaling envisioned as a maximally abstracted form that seamlessly extended Ethereum's capabilities.
Account Abstraction Challenges
Buterin recounted challenges faced with account abstraction proposals, notably EIP 86, which sought to simplify transaction processing but inadvertently introduced complexity. The complexity, as highlighted, emanated from the change in responsibility, pushing more logic onto miners (now block proposers) in the transaction acceptance process.
The Shift Towards Enshrinement
The discourse has since shifted towards enshrining certain functionalities to address inherent challenges. For instance, ERC-4337, an extra-protocol solution, aimed at making transactions cheaper by reducing EVM's overhead. However, the medium-term roadmap for ERC-4337 suggests enshrining parts of it into the protocol for better gas
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