Ethereum has blobs. Where do we go from here?

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

What blobs / proto-danksharding change

  • Blobs are a new, cheap, temporary data space on Ethereum; nodes only keep blob data ~18 days, vs permanent calldata.
  • They are designed mainly for rollups’ “data availability”: posting compressed L2 state/transactions to L1 at much lower cost.
  • Initial activation dropped rollup fees by ~100x; later “blobscriptions” traffic showed the blob fee market can fill and price them.
  • Longer-term roadmap mentioned: more blobs plus data-availability sampling (DAS/PeerDAS) and “full” danksharding, targeting up to ~100k TPS according to shared dashboards.

Layer 2s: scalability, security, UX

  • Rollups (optimistic & zk) settle to L1 and use blobs for data; escape hatches let users exit to L1 if an L2 fails.
  • Today’s L2s are acknowledged as more centralized and heterogeneous; many are at “Stage 0” security in L2Beat’s framework.
  • Some argue this centralization is temporary/technological; others think it’s structural.
  • UX concern: fragmentation across many L2s; proposed mitigations include shared sequencers, bridges, and app/wallet abstractions so users “don’t know which chain they’re on.”

Comparisons with other chains

  • Solana is described as scaling by running a classic n‑of‑n chain on powerful hardware with high throughput and low fees, but weaker home-verifiability.
  • Ethereum’s approach is to preserve verifiability with rollups and data-availability tricks (0‑of‑n / 1‑of‑n trust for rollups).
  • Some see Ethereum’s L2+blobs path as more credible than anything Bitcoin has done on scaling.

Real-world usage and use cases

  • Reported concrete uses: cross-border USDC payments on L2s, business settlement, tokenized funds (e.g., money-market fund on Ethereum), municipal loans and brokered CDs on permissioned chains, Lightning payments for podcasts, VPN/privacy services, international remittances, darkweb goods (often via Monero), NFT art scenes, and some DeFi.
  • Skeptics argue most “use” is speculation, scams, or niche (ransomware, sanctions evasion); many HN readers say they don’t use blockchain at all.

Decentralization, trust, and regulation

  • Pro‑crypto voices emphasize censorship-resistance, self-custody, and global, bankless transfers, especially for people under repressive regimes or capital controls.
  • Opponents respond that most people are fine trusting banks/States, existing instant-pay systems (SEPA, UPI, M‑Pesa, etc.) already work, and you still must trust law enforcement and courts for real disputes.

Skepticism, limitations, and jargon

  • Many complain about heavy jargon (“blobs”, “proto-danksharding”, “blobscriptions”) and see it as obfuscating complexity or a “solution in search of a problem.”
  • Micropayments and “Internet of Money” visions are debated: some see sub‑cent fees as transformative; others say user psychology, not fee size, is the real barrier.
  • Several note Ethereum’s technical ambition and seriousness, yet still question whether any “killer app” beyond finance will emerge.