My favorite paradox:

What came first, the compiler or the source code?

@NoNameCode then what compiled it?

Source code, because source code later gets compiled into an executable. Not really a paradox imo

@aplp yeah but where did the compiler come from?

The real story is that the first steps to writing the first c compiler is that he used assembly to write the first simple compiler, than used that with some c to write a better compiler - loop this few more times => c compiler.

Kind of like use a tool to make a better tool

@juzles like using a rock as a hammer to make a hammer 😊

people used to write instrunctions code direct to memory by flipping switches like in altair 8800

Back in the day I used punch cards to make my first compiler.

(Not a true story)

First came the instructions, then the compiler, then the human readable source code.

Isn't the swift compiler written in swift too? I seem to remember Siracusa talking about it at one point.

in the specific order
if you have to make things ground up

transistors and logic --> microprogram logic --> assembler --> compiler --> interpreters --> text editor --> source code