no, that's a good question. half of the point of HVM is to be an incredibly fast evaluator, in the "raw speed" sense. the other is to be an incredibly fast evaluator, in the "asymptotical" sense. in the first sense, Bend2 supersedes HVM. in the last sense, HVM is still king. on higher order computations that involve λ-calculus and the like, nothing beats the HVM. but I also realize most people aren't doing λ-calculations. so, Bend is made for the general public and lower-order programs, while HVM remains for the niche group of researchers and λ-calculus enthusiasts