Initial gcc installation-How to compile gcc itself
 

I installed Debian and am trying to complile some software on it. However I don't have
gcc or any other c compiler installed. Can't compile gcc source code itself for the
same reason. Which raises a question of how to do the initial install of a first compiler
on a system. Do I have to find a precompiled debian package and install it this way?

thanks

Yes, you will find it on your install CD.

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Steve Stites

thanks. but lets say i didn't have access to precompiled gcc. How would i bootstrap the gcc compiler?

It's obvious that you need a c compiler to compile a c compiler written in c. You either need a different version of c, or obtain the version you want (and the library) in a precompiled package. You could compile or cross-compile the source on another machine. The very first C compiler was probably written in a high level language.

This begs the question, how did the first person catch a cold?

Whats wrong with "apt-get install build-essential" from the etch installation?