Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin discussed the importance of maintaining the protocol’s simplicity when considering the integration of advanced features. Buterin highlights the potential benefits and dangers of adding more features to the core protocol, emphasizing the need for a careful balance. He also expressed concern about the approaches taken by liquid staking protocols, Lido and Rocket Pool, when selecting node operators.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin talked about maintaining the simplicity of the protocol while introducing advanced feature integration. He said the reluctance to enshrine as little as possible in protocols is “understandable and good.”
In a September 30 blog post, Buterin explained that Ethereum’s software was built to be minimalist so that its users could easily adapt to different needs, avoiding the curses of software overload.
Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin Highlights the Dangers and Benefits of Integrating More Features
According to Buterin, discussions around Layer 1 and 2 blockchain networks also revolve around the need to integrate additional features into the protocol. This addresses various user requirements such as privacy, usernames, and account security, among other concerns.
The Ethereum co-founder suggests that integrating more features into the core protocol could “decrease de facto centralization” and improve security in different facets of the blockchain ecosystem. Such a strategy can also generate standardized solutions to improve the user experience.
However, Buterin warns that this approach carries risks. “Enshrining too much can overextend the burden of trust and governance,” he notes, adding that “overcomplicating the protocol,” as well as unpredictability of user needs could prove counterproductive in the long term.
Suggesting Features That Can Be Added, According to Vitalik Buterin
Buterin suggested solution-oriented features that could be integrated into the core of the protocol. These features include changing the betting penalty rules to make trustless liquid betting more viable.
Another feature would involve enshrining EVM-MAX or SIMD to simplify a broader class of operations to implement efficiently.
The protocol could also introduce EVM verification instead of enshrining the entire concept of rollups. Buterin said the following:
“What features should be included in the protocol and what features should be left to other layers of the ecosystem is a complicated trade-off, and we should expect the trade-off to continue to evolve over time. Ideas and technologies continue to improve.”
Buterin: There Are Concerns About Liquid Participation Approach
Meanwhile, Buterin criticized Lido and Rocket Pool’s approach to selecting node operators. According to him, the mechanism used by these protocols cannot be unlimited because hackers could join together and amplify their attacks with user funds.
“Lido, which has node operators on the DAO whitelist, and Rocket Pool, which allows anyone to run a node if they deposit 8 ETH (i.e., 1/4 capital) as a deposit.”
Buterin further noted the following:
“These two approaches have different risks: the Rocket Pool approach allows attackers to attack the network by 51% and force users to pay most of the costs. With the DAO approach, if a single staking token dominates, that leads to a single potentially attackable governance device that controls a large portion of all ETH validators.”
According to Buterin, in the short term, one solution may be to encourage ETH ecosystem participants to use the wide variety of liquid staking providers. This would be a strategy to reduce the possibility of a supplier becoming too large to constitute a systemic risk to the Blockchain.
By Audy Castaneda
