sizya3

I am a Developer focused on Bitcoin and Lightning.
Experience building on Ethereum; interested in security, incentives, and system design.
Based in Tanzania; 
writing to document learning and challenge assumptions.

@sizya3's bio

bitdevs

What building on Ethereum didn’t prepare me for when I returned to Bitcoin

I started with Bitcoin. Not as a maxi, but as a curious developer trying to understand how money could exist without permission. Bitcoin was a bit complex for me at the time as I was just starting out in tech in general I barely knew what a programming language was let alone Bitcoin. Then I discovered Ethereum with expressive smart contracts, fast iteration, composability.
I built there. I learned there. I adopted Ethereum instincts. Then I came back to Bitcoin. That’s when I realized that:
Building on Ethereum had quietly trained me to value certain things that don’t transfer to Bitcoin.

1. Ethereum taught me to embrace complexity. Bitcoin taught me to fear it.
On Ethereum, complexity feels productive. If logic can move on-chain, we move it on-chain. If something can be automated, it probably should be.
Bitcoin rejects this instinct almost aggressively. Every added feature increases the surface area for failure — not just today, but decades from now. Bitcoin’s limited scripting isn’t a technical weakness; it’s a long-term survival strategy.
Coming back to Bitcoin forced me to confront that: ‘Simplicity isn’t laziness. It’s risk management across generations.’

2. Ethereum normalized upgradability. Bitcoin treats it as existential risk.
On Ethereum, upgrades are expected. Proxy contracts, governance votes, migrations — if something goes wrong, you fix it.
Bitcoin doesn’t work like that because it can’t afford to. Changes in Bitcoin don’t just affect apps; they affect the social contract itself. Every upgrade risks fragmenting consensus, and consensus is the product.
Ethereum trained me to think: “We’ll fix it later.”
Bitcoin insists: “Assume later never comes.”

3. Ethereum taught me to trust code. Bitcoin taught me to distrust incentives.
Ethereum culture leans toward “code is law.” If the contract allows it, it’s valid. 
Bitcoin assumes: ‘Someone will try to exploit it. Someone will misunderstand it. Someone will weaponize it.’
Bitcoin’s rules are strict not because developers lack imagination, but because attackers don’t.
Bitcoin forced me to think like an economist, a game theorist, and a pessimist all at once.

4. Ethereum centers applications. Bitcoin centers the base layer.
Ethereum progress is visible through:
•	New protocols
•	New dApps
•	New narratives
Bitcoin progress often looks like stagnation. But that stagnation is intentional. The base layer isn’t a playground it’s a foundation. Once I internalized that, I stopped asking “Why doesn’t Bitcoin move faster?” and started asking “What breaks if it does?”
That question alone changes how you build.

5. Bitcoin optimizes for users who don’t trust developers.
This was the most humbling realization.
Ethereum optimizes for developer expressiveness.
Bitcoin optimizes for people running nodes, holding keys, and opting out quietly. Bitcoin doesn’t assume developers are benevolent. It assumes users deserve defenses even from us.
Once I saw that, Bitcoin stopped feeling conservative — it started feeling deeply human.
Closing thought
Ethereum taught me how to build powerful systems quickly.
Bitcoin is teaching me how to build systems that survive hostile environments and imperfect people.
Ethereum asks, “What can we do?”
Bitcoin asks, “What happens if everything goes wrong?”