Here's a great piece from Bitcoin Core and Lightning Network contributor Antoine Riard that I highly recommend you freaks read when you get a chance. In it, Antoine does an incredible job of painting an optimistic view of the future of the Bitcoin Network and the layers built on top of it while also highlighting the ways in which it could easily fail. On top of this, Antoine attempts to separate and define the different approaches pursued by the developers working on Bitcoin's protocol layer and those working on the Lightning Network from his vantage point.

In your Uncle Marty's opinion, Antoine's point of view is particularly insightful because he has extensive experience working on both Bitcoin's protocol layer and the Lightning Network. Having interacted with both projects and being exposed to their different engineering approaches puts our friend in a category that very few on this planet currently fall within. That makes this particular feedback from the field is extremely valuable to me. Especially considering the fact that I have been an outspoken cheerleader of the Lightning Network over the last few months.

The TLDR of Antoine's article is that the Lightning Network has a lot of shortcomings in the areas of network security and privacy that need to be fixed if the second layer solution is to be a suitable option for the masses. In its current state, the Lightning Network would fail to serve the world the secure and sufficiently private solution many Bitcoiners, myself included, talk about it becoming. Much work is needed to be done to bring this dream to fruition.

If we are to bring this dream to fruition, Antoine believes we need to better bridge the development approach applied to the protocol layer with the approach pursued by the engineers building out the Lightning Network. Most importantly, focus should never stray from Bitcoin's raison d'être, providing the individual with a tool that provides them the ability to fully control and verify their wealth without any third party. This may mean focusing on and prioritizing strengthening the shortcomings that currently exist on the Lightning Network over apps that appeal to the masses. After all, there may be an order of operations to all of this. Doing things out of order may lead to bad practices and applications that prevent the protocol from being sufficiently distributed.

As Antoine says in his piece, this build out will probably take a generation. Be prepared to tough this out for the long haul. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Final thought...

SpottieOttieDopalicious type of Monday afternoon.