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AFAIK, we don't currently have the ability to compile any of our software from scratch. Every compilation utilizes digital artifacts that were created external
by shkkmo 5y ago
AFAIK, we don't currently have the ability to compile any of our software from scratch. Every compilation utilizes digital artifacts that were created externally. To operate a "no trust computer", not only would you have to build the hardware for scratch, but you would also have to recreate more than a half century of collaborative advancements in computer science. This isn't a cozy thought for those "chasing the trust dragon" since it means that a true "no trust computer" is impossible to create for any single individual and even practically impossible for any group operating on a timescale of less than decades.
- willis936 5y agoYou'd have to make an assembler then a compiler by hand to bootstrap. It's a monumental task, but reasonable to do. The blueprints are all there. Re-implementing modern operating systems and complex languages and the tools that run on them? That's wholly impossible for one human lifetime. This is one of my favorite youtube videos in the past year. https://youtu.be/SJ7lOus1FzQ https://youtu.be/SJ7lOus1FzQ
- shkkmo 5y agoYou have to do that and much more. A "self-hosting" basic OS is a great achievement that I am not trying to downplay. However there really aren't any examples that I am aware of where that was achieved without relying on artifacts somewhere up the chain that come from an external source. I would say that achieving any self-hosting OS without relying on external artifacts is well outside one human lifetime. Edit: You have to completely manually bootstrap your hardware design and manufacturing simultaneously with your software.