We present libd, a high-level runtime for the D programming language and the Slate project, an attempt at a high-level OS and environment built upon libd, as the next major step in improving the state of programming environments and operating systems. With high-level abstractions, and sensible design, the state of implementation of open-source OSes can improve. We leverage existing kernels when implementing Slate, and put an extensive (abstraction-oriented) architecture above the kernel to present the user (or programmer) with a system they can use by having to do less to perform a specific function. Our virtual machine approach also allows for security verification on a level not seen in *nix OSes before.