Kernel really necessary?

[Chris Hanson]

So, is a "kernel" of sorts really necessary for a Lisp-based OS?

What I'm thinking is really needed is:

* A Lisp compiler that can produce a self-contained output image
* A bootstrap that can load & run such an image from a raw partition
* A set of primitives that can be used to access the MMU, I/O ports, etc.
* A device driver architecture
* Basic console and IDE device drivers

Sure, there'd be no filesystem to begin with, but the initial OS wouldn't
be self-hosting.  However, it would be something that could be
bootstrapped, refined, and experimented with quickly.