syntaxis/docs/howto/bootstrap-diagrams-final.md

Bootstrap Compiler: Visual Diagrams and Flowcharts

Diagram 1: The Bootstrap Problem and Solution

WITHOUT BOOTSTRAP (Impossible):
    To compile Rust source
         ↓
    Need rustc compiler
         ↓
    But rustc is written in Rust
         ↓
    Need rustc compiler to compile rustc
         ↓
    🔄 INFINITE LOOP!

WITH BOOTSTRAP (Working):
    Need a working compiler
         ↓
    Download pre-compiled Rust binary
         ↓
    Run pre-compiled rustc
         ↓
    Use rustc to compile more Rust
         ↓
    🎉 LOOP BROKEN!

Diagram 2: Installation Timeline

Installation: curl https://sh.rustup.rs | bash

⏱️  T+0s   ┌─────────────────────────┐
           │ Download installer      │
           │ (50KB bash script)      │
           └────────┬────────────────┘
                    ↓
⏱️  T+1s   ┌─────────────────────────┐
           │ Execute bash script     │
           │ (runs in memory)        │
           └────────┬────────────────┘
                    ↓
⏱️  T+2s   ┌─────────────────────────┐
           │ Detect system:          │
           │ uname -s → Darwin       │
           │ uname -m → arm64        │
           │ Target: aarch64-...     │
           └────────┬────────────────┘
                    ↓
⏱️ T+30s   ┌─────────────────────────┐
           │ Download pre-compiled   │
           │ Rust (100-150MB)        │
           │ Network bandwidth limit │
           └────────┬────────────────┘
                    ↓
⏱️ T+40s   ┌─────────────────────────┐
           │ Extract and install     │
           │ to ~/.rustup/           │
           └────────┬────────────────┘
                    ↓
⏱️ T+45s   ✅ Rust installed!

Total: ~45 seconds (mostly network download)

Diagram 3: Dependency Chain

PRE-COMPILED BOOTSTRAP (What Rust Does):

    rustc (compiler)
         │
         ├─ cargo (package manager)
         ├─ Standard library (pre-compiled)
         └─ Other tools
         
Once rustc exists:
         │
         ├─ Compile NuShell from source
         ├─ Compile Just from source
         └─ Compile workspace binaries
         
Result: Everything ready! ✅

Diagram 4: Architecture Detection

Your System
    ↓
uname -s → "Darwin" (macOS) or "Linux"
    ↓
uname -m → "arm64", "x86_64", etc.
    ↓
Combine them:
    ├─ arm64 + Darwin = aarch64-apple-darwin
    ├─ x86_64 + Darwin = x86_64-apple-darwin
    ├─ aarch64 + Linux = aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu
    └─ x86_64 + Linux = x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
    ↓
Download from: https://static.rust-lang.org/dist/
rust-1.91.1-<target-triple>.tar.gz
    ↓
Extract and install
    ↓
rustc is now available!

Diagram 5: Installation Phases

Phase 1: System Detection
    ↓
Phase 2: Install Rust (Bootstrap)
    ├─ Download sh.rustup.rs (50KB)
    ├─ Execute installer script
    ├─ Download pre-compiled rustc (100MB)
    └─ Install to ~/.rustup/
    ↓
Phase 3: Compile NuShell
    └─ cargo install nu (1-2 minutes)
    ↓
Phase 4: Compile Just
    └─ cargo install just (1-2 minutes)
    ↓
Phase 5: Clone Repository
    ↓
Phase 6: Build Project
    └─ cargo build --release (5-10 minutes)
    ↓
Phase 7: Deploy Configuration
    ↓
Phase 8: Verify Installation
    ↓
✅ Everything ready!

Diagram 6: Size Comparison

APPROACH 1: Bootstrap Only ✅
├─ Installer script: 50KB
├─ Pre-compiled Rust: 100MB
└─ Total: ~150MB

APPROACH 2: Pre-Compile Everything ❌
├─ Rust for 50 archs: 5GB+
├─ NuShell for 50 archs: 500MB+
├─ Just for 50 archs: 200MB+
└─ Total: 10GB+ (bloated)

APPROACH 3: Source Code ❌
├─ Rust source: 2GB
├─ Dependencies: 1GB
└─ Total: 3GB+ (need C compiler)

Diagram 7: What Gets Pre-Compiled vs Compiled

PRE-COMPILED (Download):
├─ rustc (the compiler itself)
├─ cargo (package manager)
├─ rustfmt (formatter)
├─ clippy (linter)
└─ std library (standard library, pre-compiled for your arch)

COMPILED FROM SOURCE (Using rustc):
├─ NuShell
├─ Just
├─ syntaxis-core
├─ syntaxis-cli
├─ syntaxis-tui
├─ syntaxis-dashboard
└─ Other crates

Diagram 8: Supported Architectures

Over 50 supported:

┌─ macOS ─────────────────────┐
│ ├─ aarch64-apple-darwin     │
│ └─ x86_64-apple-darwin      │
└─────────────────────────────┘

┌─ Linux ──────────────────────┐
│ ├─ aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu │
│ ├─ x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu  │
│ ├─ aarch64-unknown-linux-musl│
│ └─ x86_64-unknown-linux-musl │
└──────────────────────────────┘

┌─ Windows ────────────────────┐
│ ├─ x86_64-pc-windows-msvc    │
│ ├─ aarch64-pc-windows-msvc   │
│ └─ x86_64-pc-windows-gnu     │
└──────────────────────────────┘

Plus: Android, iOS, FreeBSD, WebAssembly, 
RISC-V, PowerPC, MIPS, s390x, and more...

Diagram 9: The Bootstrap Kernel

Traditional OS Bootstrap:
    Power On
       ↓
    BIOS/Firmware (built into chip)
       ↓
    Bootloader (loads kernel)
       ↓
    Kernel (core OS functionality)
       ↓
    OS ready

Rust Bootstrap:
    User runs: curl ... | bash
       ↓
    sh.rustup.rs script (basic bash)
       ↓
    Pre-compiled rustc (the "kernel")
       ↓
    rustc compiles everything else
       ↓
    Everything ready

Diagram 10: Why No Central Binary Repository

Option A: Host all binaries in our repo ❌
    
    Repository size: 5GB+
    Update frequency: Weekly (every Rust release)
    Architectures: Maintain 50+ versions
    Cost: $1000s/month CDN
    Problem: Maintenance nightmare
    
    Result: NOT VIABLE

Option B: Rely on Rust Foundation's repo ✅
    
    Repository size: 150MB (just code)
    Update frequency: Automatic (users get latest)
    Architectures: Rust Foundation maintains 50+
    Cost: Free (they handle it)
    Benefit: Automatic updates
    
    Result: PERFECT! 🎉

Diagram 11: The Complete Chain

Before Installation:
    You have: bash, curl, tar, git

Installer downloads:
    └─ sh.rustup.rs (50KB script)

Script downloads:
    └─ Pre-compiled Rust (100MB)

Once Rust exists:
    ├─ Cargo installs NuShell (from source)
    ├─ Cargo installs Just (from source)
    ├─ Cargo builds workspace (from source)
    └─ Script deploys configs

Result:
    ✅ Complete development environment

Diagram 12: Cargo's Target Selection

When you run: cargo build

Cargo asks: "What's my target?"
    ↓
Checks: Cargo.toml (no explicit target)
Checks: .cargo/config.toml (no override)
Checks: Environment variables (not set)
    ↓
Uses default: Current system (host platform)
    ↓
Calls: rustc --print host-tuple
    ↓
Rustc responds:
    ├─ On M1 Mac: aarch64-apple-darwin
    ├─ On Intel Mac: x86_64-apple-darwin
    ├─ On Linux ARM: aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu
    └─ On Linux Intel: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
    ↓
Cargo uses this to:
    ├─ Select pre-compiled std library
    ├─ Choose linker
    ├─ Create target/<triple>/release/
    └─ Pass hints to LLVM compiler
    ↓
Result: Binaries built for YOUR system,
        ready to run immediately!

KEY: No manual configuration needed! ✅

Summary

These diagrams show:

1. The circular dependency problem and solution
2. Timeline showing the installation speed
3. What gets pre-compiled vs compiled
4. Automatic architecture detection
5. Why bootstrap approach is better than alternatives
6. The dependency chain from installer to final binaries
7. How many architectures are supported
8. Why we don't pre-compile in our repo