Bootstraping

In programming there are compilers which create the executable machine code from the high level code writing by humans. Usually compilers are created in the language they compile. A similar thing will happen to nanofactories, since one of the goals is creating more nanofactories. To solve this chicken or the egg problem, a technique called bootstrapping is used. In this context, bootstrapping means using external tools to create the first version of the compiler and gradually replacing them using programs compiled with the first version.
At first, nanomachines will not be that impressive. They will be as simple as a wire, some way to interface with the microscope just to check if the wire works. But they will gradually replace the microscope with things like sensors and ultra small displacement actuators.
My guess is the following order:

• Conductor
• Insulator
• Input / output (not sure how, though)
• Resistor
• Capacitor
• Actuator (basically a plate electrometer)
• Transistor (using nano vacuum tubes, like the ones from NASA)
• Simple integrated circuits
• Some random sensor I don’t care about right now
• Wireless connection
• DAC
• ADC
• Walker (maybe using stick slip)
• Controller for multiple DACs and ADCs
• Robot
• Tip with fine actuation
• Atomic manipulation via robot
• Self replication
• Insourcing processing
• Insourcing batteries
• Complete autonomy
• Giga scale processing
• Evolution via simulation
• Expand to hostile planets and asteroids