Linea does not aim to replace Ethereum; it simply wants to grow into a thin yet strong second layer skin on Ethereum. It still feels like Ethereum when you touch it: the same wallet, the same ETH to pay gas, the same code can be copied over to run, but with speeds increased by hundreds of times and costs almost zero.
You click Swap or do anything, and the transaction flies to Linea first. There, a computer quickly packages and executes thousands of transactions while keeping a record of every step. After recording, it compresses a thick 'diary' into a very short mathematical proof: 'All these operations comply with Ethereum rules.' This proof, along with the compressed package, is sent back to the Ethereum mainnet. Ethereum just takes a look at the proof and nods, and the entire batch takes effect immediately, confirmed completely in a few minutes.
There is still a small drawback: the 'sorter' that decides the transaction order is still controlled by one company, and the key to system upgrades is still in the hands of a few. The mathematical part is already rock solid, but the 'human' part is still growing. They themselves frankly say this is the 'training wheels phase', gradually handing over control, just like all the other serious Layer 2s.
Linea's token is also different from others: you never have to use LINEA to pay gas, you can still use ETH. Most tokens are directly distributed to users and developers, with little left for investors. After the network earns money, it buys ETH from the market to burn, making ETH more scarce. This is the only chain that actively helps increase Ethereum's value, rather than competing with it.
For ordinary people, it feels like 'painless Ethereum': the same App, the same security, a few cents in fees, and you can withdraw back to the mainnet in a few minutes.
It's simpler for developers: just copy and paste the contracts written before, switch the network in MetaMask to go live, and no need to change the code at all.
This is Linea.
Not a rival, not a counterfeit.
It just leaves a bit more breathing space for Ethereum.$LINEA
