There's an interesting viewpoint that has sparked discussions in the tech community—how simple should a protocol really be?

The core issue is this: if a decentralized chain has code that runs into hundreds of thousands of lines or cryptography that is extremely complex, then sovereignty becomes a joke. In simple terms, users can't verify the code themselves, and the meaning of decentralization is diminished.

Ethereum's development path faces this dilemma. Every time there's a new requirement, developers want to add new features to the protocol—initially a good intention, but over time, the protocol becomes like a warehouse stuffed with things, increasingly bloated. To maintain compatibility with older versions, outdated components can't be removed, which only adds to the burden.

How to solve this? One idea is to have a clear "cleanup mechanism"—regularly removing unused parts. For example, the major upgrade from PoW to PoS was a large-scale cleanup. Alternatively, you can shift some low-frequency but complex functions from the protocol layer to smart contracts, keeping the protocol itself simple.

Ultimately, it boils down to this: **control the number of lines of code, cut unnecessary complex components, and add some invariants to enhance security**. Only then can the protocol remain flexible and autonomous in the long term, without failing due to bloat.