News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Ask HN: How do I go about buying Bitcoin on a Mac in the UK?.

Re:Ask HN: How do I go about buying Bitcoin on a Mac in the UK? by jstx1 on Sunday January 23, 2022 @11:07AM (#30047218)
Not quite, you're mixing up the Bitcoin software for running a node with a wallet - they're different things. Your steps are:

1. Sign up for an exchange.

2. Deposit cash (with card, bank account, whatever else the exchange supports).

3. Buy Bitcoin (or some other cryptocurrency).

4. Transfer the Bitcoin to whatever wallet you want (or don't transfer it, totally up to you).

Your link to https://bitcoin.org/en/download is for the software for running a full Bitcoin node - this isn't what you're looking for. Running a node is different from using Bitcoin and it's different from buying Bitcoin online. What you need to use instead is a wallet. Have a look at the getting-started resources on the official site (or on Coinbase if that's the exchange you're using).

The fact that you're on a Mac doesn't matter - wallets are widely available for any mobile or desktop OS. The fact that you're in the UK only matters as far as choosing an exchange that operates in the UK (but most of them are anyway).

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Ask HN: How do I go about buying Bitcoin on a Mac in the UK? by CyanDeparture on Sunday January 23, 2022 @05:21PM (#30051118)
Thanks for this, super detailed. Which wallet would you recommend? I want to just securely store my Bitcoin, not on an exchange, but I'm happy to buy it there to start with.
[ Parent | on HN ]