The Bootstrapping Metaphor in Computer Operating Systems

In the 18th century, a fictional German nobleman named Baron Munchausen was created by the German writer Rudolf Erich Raspe. One of his tales involved the extraordinary feat of “pulling himself out of a swamp by his own hair.” This anecdote was recorded in the book “Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of His Marvellous Travels”. “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps” is a famous modification based on this. The term bootstrap refers to the small loop at the back of the upper part of a knee-high boot, designed to assist in pulling the boot on. This seemingly physics-defying exaggeration sparked inspiration across diverse fields.

The bootstrapping process in computing mirrors the Baron’s exaggerated actions. During the booting sequence, a tiny program is first loaded into memory from BIOS, then the MBR, and BootManager of the Operating System. Finally, the operating system is fully loaded. This intricate process of gradually building up from minimal resources aligns with the notion of bootstrapping.

The metaphorical connection between Baron Munchausen’s improbable actions and the bootstrapping process in computing may seem far-fetched, yet it underscores the unexpected ways in which inspiration can arise. And that’s a famous story about why we call the starting process of operating systems bootstrap.