Blockchain Essentials: Decentralized Systems Engineering

This lecture covers the fundamental concepts of blockchain technology, exploring the need for blockchain, decentralized systems engineering, and the structure of blockchain. It delves into key ideas such as proof-of-work, assumptions in blockchain, and the differences between UTXO and account-based transactions. The lecture also discusses Bitcoin transactions, scripting, limitations, and Ethereum's smart contracts, gas, and applications. It concludes with an overview of smart contract issues, limitations, and potential future developments in the field.