The key reasons that drew me to Ethereum and keep me interested are:
a) I get excited about smart contracts, they're what I hoped Bitcoin would offer years ago. The idea of a DAO, controlled entirely on-chain, is IMHO groundbreaking. Solidity is a simple language, and it's ridiculously easy to write and publish basic dApps over ipfs. Most of the downsides (need for oracles for instance) apply to all blockchains.
b) The planned implementation of light clients and usage of events, would mean ethereum network access could be embedded into virtually any app.
c) The sharding plan for scaling seems solid enough, and the team behind Ethereum has proven themselves capable, dedicated, and open with communication.
d) Bitcoin development is a mess and I don't see it improving much. The offchain efforts all look like rent seeking to me (aka RSK will take 20% in perpetuity). None of them are viable today, but I can write Ethereum apps now.
e) Ethereum may get out executed in the future, but I don't see anything in the landscape right now that will do it.
> Most of the downsides (need for oracles for instance) apply to all blockchains.
This is the part that kills all good uses for Etherium (and other blockchain apps) as far as I can tell. If you are relying on oracles then you are not 'running on the blockchain' any more so why even bother at all? What are you gaining with Ethereum that you can't already do without it?
I just don't see a use case that 'regular' people would be interested in. All the apps currently on Ethereum are only used by other Ethereum fans. For someone outside of the bubble there's no compelling reason to become users.
An iPhone still needs communication hardware and a screen to function as a phone, you can't just make an iPhone entirely out of software.
So why bother supporting software on an iPhone at all? We should just keep using phones like the ones made in the 1950s that relied entirely on electrical components and no microchip. What does a person placing a phone call on an iPhone gain by running "software" that they couldn't already do without it?
Those who believe a phone should run software are on a fool's errand. All the software will do in the end is just activate the physical communications hardware anyway- there is just no point in it.
a) I get excited about smart contracts, they're what I hoped Bitcoin would offer years ago. The idea of a DAO, controlled entirely on-chain, is IMHO groundbreaking. Solidity is a simple language, and it's ridiculously easy to write and publish basic dApps over ipfs. Most of the downsides (need for oracles for instance) apply to all blockchains.
b) The planned implementation of light clients and usage of events, would mean ethereum network access could be embedded into virtually any app.
c) The sharding plan for scaling seems solid enough, and the team behind Ethereum has proven themselves capable, dedicated, and open with communication.
d) Bitcoin development is a mess and I don't see it improving much. The offchain efforts all look like rent seeking to me (aka RSK will take 20% in perpetuity). None of them are viable today, but I can write Ethereum apps now.
e) Ethereum may get out executed in the future, but I don't see anything in the landscape right now that will do it.