[1] : The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)

bootstrap loader
     
         from "bootstrap" or "to pull oneself up
        by one's bootstraps" a short program that was read in from
        cards or paper tape, or toggled in from the front
        panel switches, which read in a more complex program to
        which it gave control.
     
        on early computers the bootstrap loader was always very short
        great efforts were expended on making it short in order to
        minimise the labour and chance of error involved in toggling
        it in, but was just smart enough to read in a slightly more
        complex program usually from a card or paper tape
        reader, to which it handed control; this program in turn
        was smart enough to read the application or operating
        system from a magnetic tape drive or disk drive.  thus,
        in successive steps, the computer "pulled itself up by its
        bootstraps" to a useful operating state.  nowadays the
        bootstrap is usually found in rom or eprom, and reads the
        first stage in from a fixed location on the disk, called the
        "boot block".  when this program gains control, it is
        powerful enough to load the actual os and hand control over
        to it.
     
        see boot.
     
        27 november 1995
     
     
see also:
bootstrap program card paper tape toggle front panel 
application operating system magnetic tape disk drive computer 
rom eprom disk boot block os 
boot 

Loader >> L Words
Loader, definition of term: Loader
loader_pag1.html

Bootstrap >> B Words
Bootstrap, definition of term: Bootstrap
bootstrap_pag1.html