What is bootstrapping, and why do I need a boot image for it?
In general, bootstrapping is the process of compiling a self-hosted compiler, that is, a compiler written in the programming language it compiles. Though Factor isn't entirely self-hosted, we use a bootstrapping process as many important pieces, like the compiler and parser (but not the virtual machine or primitives) are written in Factor. Years ago, there was a Factor interpreter and compiler written in Java, and that was initially used to run the Factor code we use now, creating an image. Now, we use a boot image–a kind of mini-image which has just enough knowledge to start the process to create a full image.
