On April 5, 2023, independent blogger Andy Baio published a post on his Waxy Blog explaining that every version of macOS from Mojave 10.14.0 to the current version hosts a copy of Satoshi Nakamoto’s seminal Bitcoin white paper. Mac users can type a simple command into the terminal, and the nine pages describing Nakamoto’s invention will appear in a PDF version in the built-in image viewer, Preview.
Blogger Discovers Bitcoin Whitepaper Hidden in Every MacOS 10.15 or Later
While celebrating Satoshi Nakamoto’s presumed birthday on April 5, bitcoin supporters discovered that many Macintosh computers running the macOS operating system contain a full version of the seminal Bitcoin White Paper.
The initial discovery was revealed in a blog post called “The Bitcoin white paper is hidden in every modern copy of macOS” on Andy Baio’s Waxy blog. The freelance blogger found the hidden file while repairing his printer and confirmed his findings by asking “more than a dozen Mac-using friends for confirmation.”
After typing the command in terminal and using a Mac running macOS 10.15 or later, the Bitcoin PDF should open in Preview, according to Baio’s explanation. The blogger also provides instructions on how to access the file through the operating system’s library folder for those unfamiliar with the macOS terminal.
“Of all the documents in the world, why was the Bitcoin white paper chosen?” Baio asked on his blog. Baio also discovered that the Bitcoin white paper had been previously found and written on the Apple Community Discussion Forum.
However, the news has never reached the bitcoin community in the last five years. After Baio posted his blog post, the news went viral on social media. No one knows exactly why Apple has hidden the Bitcoin White Paper in the operating system, but it has pleased the crypto community. Bitcoin.com News further verified that the white paper file was located on two Macs that our news desk tested.
What do you think of Apple including a copy of the Bitcoin white paper in every modern copy of macOS? Do you think it was a deliberate move or just a coincidence? Let us know in the comments section.
image credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any product, service or company. bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.
