Subject: Re: [bug#39655] [PATCH core-updates] doc: Add 'Scheme-only Bootstrap' node.

From: Timothy Sample <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 18 May 2020 13:53:32 -0400

Hi janneke,

Overall it is very good!  I only have a one small suggestion.

Jan Nieuwenhuizen <[email-masked]> writes:

> [...]
>
>>> +As Gash and Gash Utils mature, and GNU packages become more
>
> @Timothy: this is possibly touching very lightly on what Gash has
> brought us; do you want to share some more here?

Honestly I think this says enough for now.  I have most of the code in
place so that Gash can build nearly anything.  (In particular, Awk is
nearly complete with respect to POSIX.)  It will take a while to clean
it up, but we can refresh this part when the new code lands.  :)

> [...]
>
> +The only significant binary bootstrap seeds that remain@footnote{
> +Ignoring the 68KB @code{mescc-tools}; that will be removed later,
> +together with @code{mes}.} are a Scheme intepreter and a Scheme
> +compiler: GNU Mes and GNU Guile.

Is it too confusing to mention the Bash, Tar, and XZ binaries used to
get Guile up and running?  IIRC, there are a few packages whose sources
are still patched via “bootstrap-origin”, too.  I understand that those
binaries are really insignificant, but maybe someone new to this whole
thing would be surprised to discover “secret” bootstrap binaries.
Perhaps their role in unpacking Guile could be put in the footnote with
messcc-tools.  WDYT?

-- Tim