Ethereum: Bitcoin won’t run on macOS
I downloaded the tgz file from bitcoincore.org and unzipped it. When I first tried to run bitcoind from the command line, I got the usual macOS dialog about untrusted software, so I gave the program a few minutes to open the configuration file. When it finally did, I got an error message that read: “Bitcoin will not run on this system.”
At first I thought I was doing something wrong, but after double-checking the code and configuration files, I realized that Ethereum (a blockchain platform) will not run on macOS in its current form. The problem is caused by a compatibility issue with the operating system.
Why Bitcoin won’t run on macOS
Bitcoin is designed to be a decentralized, open-source platform that can run on multiple platforms, including Windows and Linux. However, when it comes to macOS, the Ethereum codebase has a number of fundamental design decisions that make it incompatible with Apple’s operating system.
One of the main reasons is that macOS requires a specific type of kernel architecture that Bitcoin needs to function properly. This requirement is related to the underlying cryptographic algorithms and digital signatures that macOS does not support.
Another problem is that the Ethereum framework uses a proprietary memory management system called “gyp” (Git-Yield Protection), which is optimized for Linux-based systems but is not suitable for macOS. The gyp system is responsible for managing the block production process and verifying transactions, but this requires special APIs and libraries that are not available on macOS.
What to do next
While Ethereum doesn’t run directly on macOS, there are some workarounds and alternatives:
- Compile from source: If you want to try installing Ethereum on your Mac, you can compile the source code using tools like “make” and “cmake”. This gives you the option to choose which platform components you want to include or exclude.
- Use a different cryptocurrency: Other cryptocurrencies work on macOS, such as Bitcoin Core (the same software you downloaded) on Windows.
- Consider alternative platforms: Ethereum is developed in the Go programming language and can be used on multiple platforms, including Linux, Windows, and even mobile devices.
