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On partial evaluation (and other meta-compilers)

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So after a bit of research it turns out that the big reason that we don't have a meta-compiler compiler generator project because sophisticated partial evaluators are pretty much never self applicable.  As far as I can tell from the literature the Futamura projections in the context of logic programming have only ever been applied in practice on "off-line" partial evaluators.  Off-line partial evaluators tend to be much less sophisticated since they do most of their reasoning "off-line", that is, without attempting to unfold.

Apparently part of the reason for this is the use of extra-logical features in the sophisticated partial evaluators, in order to make them fast enough that they can reasonably be applied.  It is hard to make performant prolog without using cut.  Once cut is used however, all bets are off, since it is nearly impossible to reason about effectively.

I started writing my meta-compiler without using cut, but restricting myself to soft-cut, because of the purely declarative reading that can be given to soft-cut.  If I'm careful perhaps this will allow me to make my meta-compiler self-applicable.  Since I don't really understand all of the details of why on-line partial evaluators are not generally self applicable, we'll have to see.

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