Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently shared new thoughts in an X post on the core purpose of the network after attending the Real World Crypto conference and related side events.

His reflection focused on understanding what blockchains truly contribute when viewed purely as technology rather than as a specific ecosystem.

Vitalik Buterin has stated that he believes the network’s greatest purpose is not related to smart contracts or financial transactions. Instead, he believes its greatest purpose is to be a censorship-resistant public bulletin board where information can be freely published and verified.

This is a shared space that allows systems to function that rely on accurate data, such as voting systems, certificate revocation, and version control.

The decentralized network is provided by Ethereum itself, and its data capacity has been boosted by the recent PeerDAS update by approximately 2.3 times.

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Ethereum Payments Support Open Digital Systems

The next most important aspect after the availability of the data is payments. Buterin says that many digital systems will require small payments to function well.

This will prevent spam and pay the people who will be providing the computing power. The payment system of the network will also allow permissionless APIs to be kept open while reducing the abuse of the APIs.

He also mentioned that using Ethereum will allow the creation of a fast and efficient payment method using the zero-knowledge payment channels.

This configuration makes it easier for developers to manage usage credits for services while maintaining privacy and security. It is also useful in preventing a type of attack known as a Sybil attack, where a user creates many accounts for malicious purposes.

The small payment made through ETH prevents abuse without requiring identification through phone numbers, among other means.

Smart Contracts Expand Application Possibilities

Smart contracts are the third big thing about the value of Ethereum. Smart contracts are often thought of as the defining aspect of blockchain technology, but Buterin said they are more of a way to program.

Smart contracts allow developers to create things like security deposits, which hold money and destroy it when rules are violated. Smart contracts are also used for payment channels and allow digital objects to interact with one another.

In theory, these tasks could use Ethereum only as a data bulletin board with cryptographic proofs. But smart contracts can make development simpler and inter-app cooperation smoother.

Buterin concluded that Ethereum can be most effectively utilized if viewed as a technical tool that can provide a shared global memory.

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