Bootstrap




1. <operating system> (From "to pull oneself up by one's bootstraps") To load and initialise the operating system on a computer.

Normally abbreviated to "boot".

See bootstrap loader.

2. <compiler> (From "to pull oneself up by one's bootstraps") to use a compiler to compile itself.

The usual process is to write an interpreter for a language, L, in an existing language, M.

The compiler is then written in L and the interpreter is used to run it.

This produces an executable for compiling programs in L from the source of the compiler in L.

This technique is often used to verify the correctness of a compiler.

It was first used in the LISP community.

See also my favourite toy language.

(27 N



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Booster
boot
boot block
boot disk
BOOTP
Ada-O
Basic Input/Output System
BCPL
boot
boot disk
bootstrap loader
boot virus
Border Gateway Protocol
borf
Borland International, Inc.