Why Does The Merge Not Solve Ethereum’s ‘Atomic Composability’ Issue?

Why Does The Merge Not Solve Ethereum’s ‘Atomic Composability’ Issue?

Ethereum News
September 28, 2022 by Diana Ambolis
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Ethereum’s “atomic composability,” which made decentralized financial transactions (DeFi) possible in the first place, has been compromised. And if you disturb the atomic composability of an ecosystem, you are fighting against the same factor that ensures its long-term viability. In the history of open-source software and Web3’s evolution, the Merge of Ethereum’s network is a
Why Does The Merge Not Solve Ethereum's 'Atomic Composability' Issue?

Ethereum’s “atomic composability,” which made decentralized financial transactions (DeFi) possible in the first place, has been compromised. And if you disturb the atomic composability of an ecosystem, you are fighting against the same factor that ensures its long-term viability.

In the history of open-source software and Web3’s evolution, the Merge of Ethereum’s network is a significant milestone. In the overwhelming majority of instances, this transition from the more energy-intensive proof-of-work consensus mechanism to the less energy-intensive proof-of-stake consensus mechanism has been praised for its higher sustainability. What precisely this is, as well as the significance of “cross-pollination” among decentralized applications.

Nevertheless, even though energy conservation is the focus of the day, the Merge sidesteps a significant problem that Ethereum may face shortly. The purpose of post-Merge network improvements is to begin enhancing Ethereum’s scalability finally; nevertheless, these proposals threaten the feasibility and sustainability of a healthy Web3 ecosystem.

Radix is a layer-one smart contract platform, and Jeremy Epstein is the company’s chief marketing officer.

What does the word “atomic composability” refer to, and why is it significant?

In computer science, atomic composability refers to the ability of any software running on a network to communicate seamlessly with any other application. The Ethereum network will intentionally violate composability to install sharding or layer two technologies, resulting in the isolation of various network regions from one another.

To further illustrate this abstract concept, let’s compare the health of rainforests to that of a desert. According to experts, without pollinators, one-third of our edible fruits and vegetables would not be able to grow. You have likely heard about the collapse of bee numbers, but sadly, this story is repeated repeatedly in many regions of the world. The harvesting of agave plants for tequila production threatens the desert ecosystem because it endangers the bats necessary for pollinating the region’s most crucial cactus. Fish populations will undoubtedly decline as a consequence of whale hunting.

Also read: 3 Reasons You Should Invest In Ethereum Before “The Merge”

Hence, it is a well-established fact that natural ecosystems rely on biodiversity for their continued survival and growth; therefore, any disturbance to this cycle may have far-reaching and perhaps disastrous consequences.

In 2009, an organization known as the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity produced a paper highlighting the economic benefit of ecosystem biodiversity for people. This worth comprises up to fifty percent of the pharmaceutical sector and one hundred percent of the agriculture business, among many other industries.

Suppose the diversity of physical ecosystems is so important and valuable. In that case, there is no reason why the variety of applications would not be essential to the survival and growth of digital ecosystems.

The answer is affirmative. The larger the diversity of applications in an ecosystem, the higher the likelihood they may “cross-pollinate” with one another. This leads to a more healthy and resilient environment, sustaining several sorts of development. This may also result in creating new types of apps and constructing new sources of income for those who rely on them.

Protecting the four superpowers is crucial to sustaining Web3’s biological diversity.

Web3’s four strengths are tokenization, decentralized applications, two-sided markets independent of intermediaries, and composability. To remove one of these superpowers by isolating particular applications via blockchain sharding or layer two implementations (which almost every innovative contract platform does) is akin to cutting the link between the bat and the flower it pollinates.

We are witnesses to the global impact of humanity’s loss of natural diversity, which removes plants and animals from the surroundings in which they have grown and are dependent. Now, at the beginning of Web3, as we seek to create the world’s most dynamic and prosperous digital ecosystem for the future of global banking, we cannot afford to make the same mistake.

Emerging digital ecosystems will have the best chance of success if they are underpinned by decentralized networks that retain all four superpowers, including atomic composability.