[ale] Which came first?

[JANINDRA at MS.NDCORP.COM]

If one was starting from scratch:

How can you compile Linux(kernel) on a system that doesn't already have
Linux or the GNU software (make, cat, tar, etc..)  on it? How could you have
a system without a kernel? Does anyone have any docs that help answer these
questions? I am trying to expand my Linux studies beyond the typical "buy a
distro and install it".

thanks in advance,

Randy