Consider string matching, regular expression matching (or lexing), and parsing. Traditional techniques involve compiling the language (string, regexp, grammar) into tables, then running an abstract machine driven by these tables. RTCG can be used to compile these tables (programs for the abstract machines) into executable code, resulting in faster execution.

In fact, PE has been shown to be sometimes able to generate the tables themselves for KMP string matching [?] and parsing [?].

Formatting (unparsing) is another important operation. In C it is done with printf, in lisp with format. The languages defined by these format strings can be quite powerful, and it makes sense to compile them. Eg say you want to print a number with some surrounding text. It is easier to say (format #t "good ~d bad~%" num) than

(write-string "good ")
(write-decimal num)
(write-string " bad\n")

If these sorts of procedures are implemented as stream processors, then they can be further composed.

[FOX]

Ideal protocol usage is measured against Kolmogorov complexity [ref], which requires transmitting programs.

The advent of high bandwidth networks, and an increased range of applications from video and voice to more traditional data transfer, is likely to show increasingly the inadequacies of the layered communications architecture as a model for constructing real systems. [CroWaWaSi92]

[corollary to the end-to-end principle?]