Several operating systems projects revolve around moving functionality above or below the kernel "red line" to increase flexibility or performance. We describe how a general model of partial evaluation encompasses this trend. The operating systems community should not be content with a single interface between applications and the operating system, even if that interface allows extension below the red line; we contend that partial evaluation will be most effective when it is free of that arbitrary, static interface. Extending partial evaluation from the language level down to the hardware provides a consistent, global framework for application support.
Jon Howell, Mark H. Montague