Yep, compilers and booting are good examples. Making a compiler from scratch is a pain in the rear, making a second compiler when you already have the first is easier.
For a concrete example: I once screwed up my operating system and got it into a state where it wouldn’t boot. Downloading a fresh copy of an OS is pretty straightforward, if you have a working copy of an operating system already, but I didn’t. In this case, I wound up asking a friend to download a copy and then used that to get my machine working again.
Yep, compilers and booting are good examples. Making a compiler from scratch is a pain in the rear, making a second compiler when you already have the first is easier.
For a concrete example: I once screwed up my operating system and got it into a state where it wouldn’t boot. Downloading a fresh copy of an OS is pretty straightforward, if you have a working copy of an operating system already, but I didn’t. In this case, I wound up asking a friend to download a copy and then used that to get my machine working again.