Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently put forward a groundbreaking view: Ethereum aims to become the Linux of the digital world. Once this statement was made, the entire ecosystem exploded. What kind of future blueprint is this tech guru actually envisioning?
**Part One: The Ambition Is Truly Grand — Building the "Foundation" of Trust Layer**
Buterin's logic is as follows: Why did Linux succeed? Open source, free, yet it became the invisible backbone for billions of devices and services worldwide. Ethereum also wants to follow this path — the Ethereum mainnet (L1) must firmly establish its role: financial settlement, identity verification, social interaction, on-chain governance — all need to be built on an immutable, truly decentralized foundation.
This reflects the core goal of the Ethereum Foundation: to become the "Operating System of the Value Internet." On this OS, data flows, value exchanges, consensus is reached — this is the true Web3.
**Part Two: The Reality Is Harsh — 127 L2 Chains in the Backyard Are Killing Each Other**
Ideally, these L2s should each do their best and showcase their strengths. Cheap, fast, providing a safety net for ordinary users. But what is actually happening?
L2s in the race are fiercely competing. Traffic and revenue are heavily concentrated among the top players. Many small L2s become "cannon fodder." Intense competition directly causes many networks' revenues to plummet sharply, making life increasingly difficult. Ironically, user choices have become a nightmare — assets on one chain, applications on another, cross-chain transfers are complex and cumbersome, and "more choices" ultimately lead to the worst experience.
**Part Three: Deeper Issues — Are L2s Helping or Just Bickering?**
Here emerges a core contradiction: L2s were originally created to alleviate Ethereum congestion, but now they seem somewhat "out of control." One main chain vs. 127 side chains, the ecosystem becomes fragmented, opaque, and difficult to coordinate. Users' assets and applications are scattered across isolated islands, and true interoperability is still far from realization.
Ethereum wants to build an operating system, but what is the most important trait of an OS? Unified infrastructure, smooth resource allocation, clear ecosystem order. How far is the current L2 ecosystem from this?
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WenMoon42
· 11h ago
The mutual competition among 127 chains is really intense; it seems to be causing even more congestion.
View OriginalReply0
Toothless
· 01-09 09:15
2026 Go Go Go 👊
View OriginalReply0
ser_ngmi
· 01-09 02:32
The 127th L2 involution is so intense that Vitalik's Linux dream might be doomed.
View OriginalReply0
0xSunnyDay
· 01-08 21:31
127 L2s are competing with each other, where is the promised ecosystem collaboration... Now, even buying an asset requires cross-chain transfers that take half a day. This doesn't look like an operating system at all.
View OriginalReply0
CommunityJanitor
· 01-08 17:00
What can 127 L2s do? Competing against each other to death is really happening. Vitalik's pie-in-the-sky plans look great, but the reality is a fragmented hell.
View OriginalReply0
hodl_therapist
· 01-08 16:58
127 L2s killing each other, this isn't scalability, it's fragmentation... Has Bitcoin's dream become a reality?
View OriginalReply0
BearMarketLightning
· 01-08 16:55
Wait, 127 L2s are still fighting each other? Isn't that just a nightmare of fragmentation, haha
View OriginalReply0
GateUser-3824aa38
· 01-08 16:54
127 L2s are blocking each other, this is what it looks like now, hilarious
#密码资产动态追踪 The Great Dream of Ethereum: From "Global Computer" to "Blockchain Linux," but can 127 L2 chains really hold this situation?
$SUN $PEPE
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently put forward a groundbreaking view: Ethereum aims to become the Linux of the digital world. Once this statement was made, the entire ecosystem exploded. What kind of future blueprint is this tech guru actually envisioning?
**Part One: The Ambition Is Truly Grand — Building the "Foundation" of Trust Layer**
Buterin's logic is as follows: Why did Linux succeed? Open source, free, yet it became the invisible backbone for billions of devices and services worldwide. Ethereum also wants to follow this path — the Ethereum mainnet (L1) must firmly establish its role: financial settlement, identity verification, social interaction, on-chain governance — all need to be built on an immutable, truly decentralized foundation.
This reflects the core goal of the Ethereum Foundation: to become the "Operating System of the Value Internet." On this OS, data flows, value exchanges, consensus is reached — this is the true Web3.
**Part Two: The Reality Is Harsh — 127 L2 Chains in the Backyard Are Killing Each Other**
Ideally, these L2s should each do their best and showcase their strengths. Cheap, fast, providing a safety net for ordinary users. But what is actually happening?
L2s in the race are fiercely competing. Traffic and revenue are heavily concentrated among the top players. Many small L2s become "cannon fodder." Intense competition directly causes many networks' revenues to plummet sharply, making life increasingly difficult. Ironically, user choices have become a nightmare — assets on one chain, applications on another, cross-chain transfers are complex and cumbersome, and "more choices" ultimately lead to the worst experience.
**Part Three: Deeper Issues — Are L2s Helping or Just Bickering?**
Here emerges a core contradiction: L2s were originally created to alleviate Ethereum congestion, but now they seem somewhat "out of control." One main chain vs. 127 side chains, the ecosystem becomes fragmented, opaque, and difficult to coordinate. Users' assets and applications are scattered across isolated islands, and true interoperability is still far from realization.
Ethereum wants to build an operating system, but what is the most important trait of an OS? Unified infrastructure, smooth resource allocation, clear ecosystem order. How far is the current L2 ecosystem from this?