Hector Martin

Please point out a network protocol that requires "layers" to scale up. Last I checked SMTP, HTTP, XMPP, etc. have no problem scaling linearly with user count without requiring new "layered" protocols on top to fix underlying design flaws. We added a layer (TLS) for security.

Yes, they're are layers, but they aren't a patch for scalability. They each serve a specific function. We add new layers to add features and reach the complete product, not to fix scalability problems in the underlying layers.

And of course increasing the block size doesn't work either. You need a new protocol with a fundamentally scalable design.

Indeed. My argument is merely that the core Bitcoin protocol (and network) are too broken to be worth building upon. The real solution is a completely new design.