configure.info: Cross Compilation Concepts

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Cross Compilation Concepts

   A compiler which produces programs which run on a different system
is a cross compilation compiler, or simply a "cross compiler".
Similarly, we speak of cross assemblers, cross linkers, etc.
   In the normal case, a compiler produces code which runs on the same
system as the one on which the compiler runs.  When it is necessary to
distinguish this case from the cross compilation case, such a compiler
is called a "native compiler".  Similarly, we speak of native
assemblers, etc.
   Although the debugger is not strictly speaking a compilation tool,
it is nevertheless meaningful to speak of a cross debugger: a debugger
which is used to debug code which runs on another system.  Everything
that is said below about configuring cross compilation tools applies to
the debugger as well.