A recent blog post by independent blogger Andy Baio has revealed that the Bitcoin whitepaper is hidden within every Apple MacBook computer that runs current versions of macOS software. The file, named “simpledoc.pdf,” is only 184 KB and serves as a “sample document for a device called Virtual Scanner II” in the ‘Image Capture’ utility. However, it is unclear why the feature is hidden or not installed by default for all users, and its exact purpose remains unknown.
Baio suggests that this act of hiding the whitepaper may have been an internal act of rebellion by a programmer working at Apple. This theory is supported by the fact that Craig Wright, who has been trying to obtain copyright of the Bitcoin whitepaper, has been taking legal action against websites that host it, but is unable to sue a company as large as Apple.
To access the Bitcoin whitepaper, MacBook users need to launch the ‘Terminal’ application and enter the following command:
“open /System/Library/Image\ Capture/Devices/VirtualScanner.app/Contents/Resources/simpledoc.pdf.”
If the operating system is macOS 10.14 or later, the PDF file will open in ‘Preview.’
It should be noted that the ‘Virtual Scanner II’ device may not be available for all users, and the media DPI needs to be set to ’72 DPI’ for the preview of the first page of the whitepaper to appear.
In conclusion, the hidden presence of the Bitcoin whitepaper within Apple MacBook computers raises interesting questions about the reasons behind its inclusion and the possible motivations of the programmers who concealed it.
