Combinators Revisited • Edward Kmett • YOW! 2018

Edward Kmett revisits the historical approach of compiling lambda calculus to a fixed set of combinators, arguing for its renewed relevance. He contrasts it with modern super-combinator techniques (like GHC's G-machine), highlighting the latter's vulnerability to Spectre attacks. Kmett proposes that a combinator-based evaluation model, combined with SPMD on SIMD execution, offers a secure, highly-parallel alternative that could rival the performance of current systems while providing a unified foundation for advanced compiler features.