Rewritten Article
Advantageous Aspect of Bitcoin, According to Vitalik Buterin Highlighted
Title: Vitalik Buterin's Game-Changing Proposal to Simplify Ethereum: Borrowing the Best from Bitcoin
In his latest blog post, the co-founder of Ethereum, the powerhouse behind the second-largest blockchain, Vitalik Buterin, shares his vision to revolutionize Ethereum's infrastructure by incorporating elements inspired by Bitcoin's successful design.
In his post, Buterin hypes up the simplicity of Bitcoin, arguing that even a smart high school student could grasp its inner workings. He explains that Bitcoin blocks are connected via a hash and verified by proof of work, each containing transaction data. This simplicity is a major advantage, as it fosters wide participation in development and the creation of clients with minimal development cost.
Buterin hopes to apply this simplicity to Ethereum’s Layer-1 (L1), ultimately reducing operational costs, minimizing errors, and encouraging a broader base of developers. He critiques existing Ethereum obstacles such as Ethereum Virtual Machine’s (EVM) over-optimized 256-bit architecture and precompiles, which favor outdated use cases.
The proposed changes, Buterin claims, might not yield immediate benefits in the short term. However, he insists, they'll be a game-changer in the long run, making Ethereum more resilient and attractive for users and developers. Notably, he references the Ethereum 2025 roadmap and the Pectra upgrade, aiming for a 10x increase in Layer-2 data availability, as part of this broader strategy for scalability, security, and decentralization enhancement.
In essence, Buterin pitches the next five years as a period to effectively simplify and streamline Ethereum's L1 by adopting a more minimalist approach. The master-plan targets refinement in consensus, execution, and shared components for crystal-clear structure, and boosted resilience.
Cryptocurrency enthusiasts and developers alike eagerly await the implications of these bold changes in shaping the future of the Ethereum network.
Enrichment Data:
Vitalik Buterin's May 3, 2025 proposal aims to streamline Ethereum's Layer-1 (L1) by reducing protocol complexity, drawing inspiration from Bitcoin's minimalist design. Key modifications include:
Consensus Layer Simplification
- 3-slot finality model: Replaces Ethereum’s current epoch-based structure with a simplified consensus mechanism, eliminating complex components like sync committees and validator shuffling[3][5].
- Reduced validator complexity: Fewer active validators at any given time to simplify fork-choice rules and minimize security risks[3][5].
Execution Layer Optimization
Buterin advocates for fewer moving parts in smart contract execution, though specifics remain outlined conceptually. The focus is on reducing development cycles and costs caused by technical debt[3][5].
Shared Infrastructure Improvements
- STARK-based aggregation: Proposes Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge protocols to decentralize network coordination[3].
- Roadmap alignment: References the upcoming Fusaka hard fork (2026) to expand L2 data capacity, though this is part of a broader scaling strategy rather than direct L1 simplification[4].
Buterin emphasizes that these changes aim to make Ethereum’s core protocol more accessible to developers, reduce maintenance costs, and improve security by minimizing attack surfaces—mirroring Bitcoin’s philosophy where even "a high school student could build a client"[5]. The five-year plan targets structural clarity across consensus, execution, and shared components to enhance long-term resilience[2][5].
- Vitalik Buterin's proposal, dated May 3, 2025, focuses on simplifying Ethereum's Layer-1 (L1) by emulating Bitcoin's minimalist design.
- A crucial modification proposed in Buterin's plan involves a 3-slot finality model, replacing Ethereum’s current epoch-based structure.
- The reduction of active validators is another key change aimed at simplifying fork-choice rules and minimizing security risks.
- Buterin advocates for reduced complexity in smart contract execution, with the goal of lowering development cycles and costs.
- The use of STARK-based aggregation is proposed to aid in decentralizing network coordination.
- Buterin references the upcoming Fusaka hard fork (2026) to expand L2 data capacity, aligning his roadmap with broader scaling strategies rather than direct L1 simplification.
- The long-term aim of the simplification plan is to make Ethereum’s core protocol more accessible to developers, reduce maintenance costs, and improve security, much like Bitcoin's philosophy.
