Hey, you got your compiler in my operating system!

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.