Status and rationale for toplevel bootstrap (was Re: Example of debugging GCC with toplevel bootstrap)

[Richard Kenner]

    And note that to me this is not really a bootstrap, because we're not
    using jc1 in any way -- it's just built to stress test cc1!  So your
    stricter definition of a bootstrap is not really what GCC has been
    doing for years.  (Not that I don't understand your different
    definition; but it's just a matter of semantics).

I agree that the compilations of cc1plus and the other front-ends aren't
really part of a bootstrap and that we've done them for mostly historical
reasons.  Luckily, they are fairly fast ...