Airdrop Army

Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum’s co-founder, is on a mission. He’s calling for a framework to measure how closely projects align with Ethereum’s core values. In a blog post on Sept. 28, Buterin said Ethereum’s social fabric is facing one of its biggest tests yet. How do you get an ecosystem this big to feel like one cohesive community? He admitted it’s no small task, especially when everyone from developers to local communities has their own flavor.

Buterin raised the key question: “How do we ensure these projects build something that feels like one Ethereum ecosystem, not 138 incompatible fiefdoms?” He suggested that the answer lies in creating a set of metrics—essentially a scorecard for Ethereum projects.

Open Source and Interoperability: The Key Metrics

One of the starting points, Buterin noted, is whether a project is open source. Open source means the code can be inspected, keeping things secure and less prone to proprietary lock-ins. But there’s another layer: open-source code allows for improvement from third-party contributors, keeping the ecosystem adaptable.

Interoperability is another vital factor, Buterin added. He proposed rating applications and wallets based on their compatibility with various Ethereum Request for Comments (ERCs). This could help foster a more unified network. But then, it’s not just about how apps talk to each other, but also how decentralized and secure they are. Buterin talked about tests like the “walkaway” and “insider attack” tests: If a team’s servers vanish, does the app keep running? And if the team tries to sabotage it, what’s the damage?

Credible Neutrality and Ethereum’s Future

Buterin also emphasized the importance of neutrality. “If alignment means having the right friends, then ‘alignment’ as a concept has failed,” he said. The goal is to keep Ethereum open to everyone, not just insiders with the right connections. This isn’t just an ethical stance; it’s vital for the long-term health of the network.

However, some are concerned that Ethereum might be relying too much on Buterin himself. Cardano’s founder, Charles Hoskinson, even noted in a recent interview that people often look to Buterin for direction. If he suddenly stepped away, Hoskinson asked, “What’s the next hard fork going to look like, and how quickly can they actually get there?”