UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hello!
Please, what ELSE do we BOOT except of operating systems?
Can someone list me at least some programs which we boot and are not OSs?

Many thanks¨!

The expression "boot" is short for, and originates from the word "bootstrap" as in the expression "pull yourself up by your bootstraps".

Historically, a bootstrap program was the first program to run on an otherwise dumb chunk of electronics. Today, booting often includes executing a firmware prom, followed by one or more boot sectors on a disk, before control is passed to initial O/S code which is "run". So bootstrap code lies between the dumb machine and the O/S. We all say that an O/S is "booting" when it's coming up but that isn't strictly true. The O/S is also a program(s) that is "run". We say that an O/S is "running".

There will be other programs (O/S's) that get on their feet via a bootstrap of some kind (eg, an embedded appliance may initially execute a prom before passing control to something else).

Hope that helps.