Ethereum: How to get the Bitcoin Unicode symbol to display correctly in text on Linux?

How ​​to Properly Display Ethereum’s Bitcoin Unicode Symbol on Linux

As a cryptocurrency enthusiast and user of the Ethereum platform, you’ve probably encountered issues with the official Bitcoin symbol (₿) appearing in your text messages or online communications. While many people have reported using various workarounds to resolve this issue, the underlying problem lies in the way some operating systems interpret Unicode characters.

In this article, we’ll explore the reasons behind this behavior and provide a step-by-step guide on how to properly display Ethereum’s Bitcoin symbol in text on Linux.

The Problem with Unicode Characters

The Bitcoin symbol is represented by U+20BF, which is a Unicode character. On most modern operating systems, including Linux, this character is treated as a placeholder or empty box. This means that when you try to copy and paste the character into your text editor or compose a new message in your favorite email client, nothing is displayed.

Why does this happen?

There are several reasons why Linux may not display Unicode characters correctly:

  • Character encoding: Linux uses the UTF-8 character encoding standard, which allows for a wide range of Unicode characters. However, this encoding can sometimes cause problems when combined with other operating system settings.
  • Text formatting: Linux text editors and terminals may use simple text formatting techniques that ignore or truncate non-standard Unicode characters.

Solutions to display the Bitcoin symbol correctly

To correctly display the Ethereum Bitcoin symbol in text on Linux, try these solutions:

1. Set the text encoding

Use the setfont command to set the text encoding for your terminal or editor:

`blow

sudo setfont -f "Latin ISO 8859-15"

This sets the font to Latin-ISO 8859-15, which is a common encoding used by Linux. You can choose other encodings such asutf-8,iso-8859-1, or evenlatin1if you prefer.


2. Use a terminal with native support

If you are using a terminal emulator that does not support native Unicode rendering (e.g.xterm,zsh), try switching to an alternative terminal such asGNOME Terminalorkitty.


3. Configure your text editor

For text editors likevim,emacsornano, you can manually set the character encoding:

markdown


vim settings

set encoding=utf-8

set scroll width=4

Alternatively, you can also use iconvto set the character encoding:

hit

iconv -f utf-8 -t latin1 your_file.txt > your_file.txt.new


4. Use a browser extension

Some web browsers like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox have built-in support for Unicode characters in text rendering. To enable it, you can use theunicode-displayextension:

blow

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-factory-proposed-ppa

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install chromium browser

Install the extension and then access its web page with Chrome or Firefox.

5. Use a non-Latin character set

If none of the above solutions work, you may need to use a non-Latin character set, such as utf-16orwindows-1256`. However, be aware that this may cause compatibility issues and potential security vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

To correctly display the Ethereum Bitcoin symbol in text on Linux you need to experiment with different configurations and settings. By configuring the text encoding, using a terminal emulator, configuring your text editor, installing browser extensions, or switching to a non-Latin character set, you should be able to resolve this issue and enjoy proper Unicode support.

Remember to test each solution carefully to make sure it works for your specific setup. Happy crypto messaging!