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Does Ethereum's existence hinge on Solidity? Isn't Solidity just a language that one can compile to the lower-level language actually built into Ethereum?

twic 9y ago
Someone told me recently that there's an idea to replace EVM (the lower-level language actually built into Ethereum) with WASM. That would allow people to target it with a variety of existing programming languages, some of which are not clown shoes. If that's possible, it sounds sensible.
- mhluongo 9y ago
  The EVM is the runtime, not the language. WASM would be great though. A couple new projects are using it (eg Dfinity)
masklinn 9y ago
Solidity is the official language, part of the ethereum project, and pretty much all you get when you look for how to develop eth contracts, unless you specifically exclude mentions of solidity. Then you get Ivy (prototype & for bitcoin not eth) and Pyramid Scheme. So I'd say yeah, technically not but practically it is.
- Pxtl 9y ago
  Wait, there's a scheme variant for Eth called Pyramid Scheme? That is the best programming language name ever.
  - weavie 9y ago
    http://www.michaelburge.us/2017/11/28/write-your-next-ethereum-contract-in-pyramid-scheme.html http://www.michaelburge.us/2017/11/28/write-your-next-ethere... "Pyramid Scheme is implemented using the appropriately-named Racket."
    - cat199 9y ago
      could have used larceny as well.. http://www.larcenists.org/ http://www.larcenists.org/
blunte 9y ago
The promise of Ethereum was to be a global, decentralize, virtual computer. Without smart contracts, it's just another electronic value exchange platform.
ve55 9y ago
You could have other languages that compile code into EVM-executable opcodes, but Solidity is currently the language used by all major players in the Ethereum ecosystem for writing smart contracts. Although there's other options (or new options could be made), it's very unlikely that Solidity will be replaced by any of them any time soon.
mhluongo 9y ago
Yep, anyone interested in taking a crack can write a language that compiles down to the Low-level Lisp-like Language (LLL) intermediate lang. There are a couple projects working on it (eg Viper), though many seems to prefer starting a new blockchain. Edit: s/Serpent/Viper/
- mannykannot 9y ago
  Isn't Serpent an earlier effort that was abandoned in favor of Solidity? There was also the short-lived Mutan, V[iy]per (apparently a work-in-progress) and something called Slang.
  - mhluongo 9y ago
    Duh, Viper is what I meant- thanks :)
52-6F-62 9y ago
Not explicitly. Currently, it's the most widest used language for interacting with the VM, but it's not the end development goal. I don't think the entire thing hinges on Solidity, though it's probably the most immediately accessible language. The hype driving the price up seems a bit premature, though. There are a couple of other languages in development that might improve the ecosystem: * Vyper https://github.com/ethereum/vyper https://github.com/ethereum/vyper * Serpent https://github.com/ethereum/serpent https://github.com/ethereum/serpent
mannykannot 9y ago
I think one can say that these issues of miner 'optimization' and some of the issues raised in the LeastAuthority audit [1] are architectural, rather than Solidity-specific, and which can only be addressed through defensive transaction design. [1] https://github.com/LeastAuthority/ethereum-analyses/blob/master/GasEcon.md https://github.com/LeastAuthority/ethereum-analyses/blob/mas...
UncleMeat 9y ago
Even EVM has complex semantics surrounding critical features like time, dispatch, and exceptions. The whole ecosystem is amateur.
- robert_davidson 9y ago
  It is. This will improve but it's a lower priority than scaling.

twic 9y ago

Someone told me recently that there's an idea to replace EVM (the lower-level language actually built into Ethereum) with WASM. That would allow people to target it with a variety of existing programming languages, some of which are not clown shoes. If that's possible, it sounds sensible.

mhluongo 9y ago
The EVM is the runtime, not the language. WASM would be great though. A couple new projects are using it (eg Dfinity)

masklinn 9y ago

Solidity is the official language, part of the ethereum project, and pretty much all you get when you look for how to develop eth contracts, unless you specifically exclude mentions of solidity. Then you get Ivy (prototype & for bitcoin not eth) and Pyramid Scheme. So I'd say yeah, technically not but practically it is.

Pxtl 9y ago
Wait, there's a scheme variant for Eth called Pyramid Scheme? That is the best programming language name ever.
- weavie 9y ago
  http://www.michaelburge.us/2017/11/28/write-your-next-ethereum-contract-in-pyramid-scheme.html http://www.michaelburge.us/2017/11/28/write-your-next-ethere... "Pyramid Scheme is implemented using the appropriately-named Racket."
  - cat199 9y ago
    could have used larceny as well.. http://www.larcenists.org/ http://www.larcenists.org/

blunte 9y ago

The promise of Ethereum was to be a global, decentralize, virtual computer. Without smart contracts, it's just another electronic value exchange platform.

ve55 9y ago

You could have other languages that compile code into EVM-executable opcodes, but Solidity is currently the language used by all major players in the Ethereum ecosystem for writing smart contracts. Although there's other options (or new options could be made), it's very unlikely that Solidity will be replaced by any of them any time soon.

mhluongo 9y ago

Yep, anyone interested in taking a crack can write a language that compiles down to the Low-level Lisp-like Language (LLL) intermediate lang. There are a couple projects working on it (eg Viper), though many seems to prefer starting a new blockchain. Edit: s/Serpent/Viper/

mannykannot 9y ago
Isn't Serpent an earlier effort that was abandoned in favor of Solidity? There was also the short-lived Mutan, V[iy]per (apparently a work-in-progress) and something called Slang.
- mhluongo 9y ago
  Duh, Viper is what I meant- thanks :)

52-6F-62 9y ago

Not explicitly. Currently, it's the most widest used language for interacting with the VM, but it's not the end development goal. I don't think the entire thing hinges on Solidity, though it's probably the most immediately accessible language. The hype driving the price up seems a bit premature, though. There are a couple of other languages in development that might improve the ecosystem: * Vyper https://github.com/ethereum/vyper https://github.com/ethereum/vyper * Serpent https://github.com/ethereum/serpent https://github.com/ethereum/serpent

mannykannot 9y ago

I think one can say that these issues of miner 'optimization' and some of the issues raised in the LeastAuthority audit [1] are architectural, rather than Solidity-specific, and which can only be addressed through defensive transaction design. [1] https://github.com/LeastAuthority/ethereum-analyses/blob/master/GasEcon.md https://github.com/LeastAuthority/ethereum-analyses/blob/mas...

UncleMeat 9y ago

Even EVM has complex semantics surrounding critical features like time, dispatch, and exceptions. The whole ecosystem is amateur.

robert_davidson 9y ago
It is. This will improve but it's a lower priority than scaling.