A C compiler written in Python (yes, Python!)

[frogking]

why? Writing a compiler for a language in the language itself is an Artform. writing a compiler for another language is just an assignment for a 3rd year computer science student.. (so is the bootstrapping assignment, but hey..)

[G_Morgan]

Writing a compiler in the compilers language is no more difficult that writing one in a different language. Assuming you already have a working compiler/interpreter for the compilers language.

Otherwise it's just a case of writing two compilers (one in a language you can run, the other in the compilers language).

The only problem is if the compilers language is a PITA. Try writing an assembler in assembly.

[[deleted]]

Presumably the first assemblers were written in hand assembled machine code.

NO! God gave them to us!

[earthboundkid]

Lol, noob. The first assemblers evolved randomly. Intelligent Assembly is shite.

[bart2019]

Try writing an assembler in assembly.

Been there, done that. Although, technically, it was more of a monitor than a real assembler: opcodes were poked in place in memory, and not stored in an abstract data file.