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Bootstrap - Dictionary Definition and Overview |
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Bootstrap : (noun)
1: a strap that is looped and sewn to the top of a boot for
pulling it on
(verb)
1: help oneself, often through improvised means
Based on WordNet 2.0
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Bootstrap :
1. (Based on "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. (Based on "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 November 1995)
Based on WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003)
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