Fwiw, cryptocurrencies need that kind of engineering approach. They are resource-constrained in a different way than embedded systems. In embedded systems the

Fwiw, cryptocurrencies need that kind of engineering approach. They are resource-constrained in a different way than embedded systems. In embedded systems the resource constraints are known more or less exactly, and you work within those constraints to fit in as much capability as possible. With cryptocurrencies operating in a heterogenous open network, it's never clear exactly what resources are available, only that there's a tradeoff between resource consumption and security (eg, tamper resistance of the shared ledger/datastore). The more resources consumed by the protocol/client, the fewer are the users with the hardware capable of running it, the more clients and miners migrate to data centers and larger professional operations. Centralization increases the odds that a single entity/cartel/attacker can disrupt the network. Cryptocurrencies that are extremely efficient can run on a wider variety of hardware, resulting in greater inclusiveness, participation and tamper resistance via decentralization. A major area of research is how to reduce resource consumption in these systems and keep them decentralized and tamper resistant.