diff --git a/thrust/system/cuda/detail/find.h b/thrust/system/cuda/detail/find.h
index f6a1e59d1..298be0d1a 100644
--- a/thrust/system/cuda/detail/find.h
+++ b/thrust/system/cuda/detail/find.h
@@ -205,12 +205,10 @@ find(execution_policy<Derived> &policy,
      InputIt                    last,
      T const& value)
 {
-  using thrust::placeholders::_1;
-
   return cuda_cub::find_if(policy,
                         first,
                         last,
-                        _1 == value);
+                        thrust::detail::equal_to_value<T>(value));
 }
 
 
diff --git a/thrust/system/cuda/detail/remove.h b/thrust/system/cuda/detail/remove.h
index 700c95f23..c590a1adf 100644
--- a/thrust/system/cuda/detail/remove.h
+++ b/thrust/system/cuda/detail/remove.h
@@ -74,9 +74,8 @@ remove(execution_policy<Derived> &policy,
        InputIt                    last,
        const T &                  value)
 {
-  using thrust::placeholders::_1;
-
-  return cuda_cub::remove_if(policy, first, last, _1 == value);
+  thrust::detail::equal_to_value<T> pred(value);
+  return cuda_cub::remove_if(policy, first, last, pred);
 }
 
 // copy
diff --git a/thrust/system/cuda/detail/replace.h b/thrust/system/cuda/detail/replace.h
index 3bd685108..d2ccb7b24 100644
--- a/thrust/system/cuda/detail/replace.h
+++ b/thrust/system/cuda/detail/replace.h
@@ -90,14 +90,12 @@ replace(execution_policy<Derived> &policy,
         T const &                  old_value,
         T const &                  new_value)
 {
-  using thrust::placeholders::_1;
-
   cuda_cub::transform_if(policy,
                       first,
                       last,
                       first,
                       __replace::constant_f<T>(new_value),
-                      _1 == old_value);
+                      thrust::detail::equal_to_value<T>(old_value));
 }
 
 template <class Derived,
diff --git a/thrust/system/detail/generic/find.inl b/thrust/system/detail/generic/find.inl
index a7126825d..9414fc615 100644
--- a/thrust/system/detail/generic/find.inl
+++ b/thrust/system/detail/generic/find.inl
@@ -45,9 +45,8 @@ InputIterator find(thrust::execution_policy<DerivedPolicy> &exec,
                    InputIterator last,
                    const T& value)
 {
-  using thrust::placeholders::_1;
-
-  return thrust::find_if(exec, first, last, _1 == value);
+  // XXX consider a placeholder expression here
+  return thrust::find_if(exec, first, last, thrust::detail::equal_to_value<T>(value));
 } // end find()
 
 
diff --git a/thrust/system/detail/generic/mismatch.inl b/thrust/system/detail/generic/mismatch.inl
index 8348374a5..d879a6e11 100644
--- a/thrust/system/detail/generic/mismatch.inl
+++ b/thrust/system/detail/generic/mismatch.inl
@@ -38,9 +38,10 @@ __host__ __device__
              InputIterator1 last1,
              InputIterator2 first2)
 {
-  using namespace thrust::placeholders;
-
-  return thrust::mismatch(exec, first1, last1, first2, _1 == _2);
+  typedef typename thrust::iterator_value<InputIterator1>::type InputType1;
+  
+  // XXX use a placeholder expression here
+  return thrust::mismatch(exec, first1, last1, first2, thrust::detail::equal_to<InputType1>());
 } // end mismatch()
 
 
diff --git a/thrust/system/detail/generic/replace.inl b/thrust/system/detail/generic/replace.inl
index eea70ccd1..d5b6caa63 100644
--- a/thrust/system/detail/generic/replace.inl
+++ b/thrust/system/detail/generic/replace.inl
@@ -15,10 +15,10 @@
  */
 
 #include <thrust/detail/config.h>
-#include <thrust/functional.h>
 #include <thrust/system/detail/generic/replace.h>
 #include <thrust/transform.h>
 #include <thrust/replace.h>
+#include <thrust/detail/internal_functional.h>
 
 namespace thrust
 {
@@ -124,9 +124,8 @@ __host__ __device__
                               const T &old_value,
                               const T &new_value)
 {
-  using thrust::placeholders::_1;
-
-  return thrust::replace_copy_if(exec, first, last, result, _1 == old_value, new_value);
+  thrust::detail::equal_to_value<T> pred(old_value);
+  return thrust::replace_copy_if(exec, first, last, result, pred, new_value);
 } // end replace_copy()
 
 
@@ -165,9 +164,8 @@ __host__ __device__
                const T &old_value,
                const T &new_value)
 {
-  using thrust::placeholders::_1;
-
-  return thrust::replace_if(exec, first, last, _1 == old_value, new_value);
+  thrust::detail::equal_to_value<T> pred(old_value);
+  return thrust::replace_if(exec, first, last, pred, new_value);
 } // end replace()
 
 
diff --git a/thrust/system/detail/generic/sequence.inl b/thrust/system/detail/generic/sequence.inl
index 16631c7f4..507f8b01d 100644
--- a/thrust/system/detail/generic/sequence.inl
+++ b/thrust/system/detail/generic/sequence.inl
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
  */
 
 #include <thrust/detail/config.h>
-#include <thrust/functional.h>
 #include <thrust/system/detail/generic/sequence.h>
 #include <thrust/iterator/iterator_traits.h>
 #include <thrust/tabulate.h>
@@ -28,6 +27,30 @@ namespace detail
 {
 namespace generic
 {
+namespace sequence_detail
+{
+
+
+template<typename T>
+struct sequence_functor
+{
+  T init, step;
+
+  __host__ __device__
+  sequence_functor(T init, T step)
+    : init(init), step(step)
+  {}
+
+  template<typename Index>
+  __host__ __device__
+  T operator()(Index i) const
+  {
+    return static_cast<T>(init + step * i);
+  }
+};
+
+
+} // end sequence_detail
 
 
 template<typename DerivedPolicy, typename ForwardIterator>
@@ -61,9 +84,8 @@ __host__ __device__
                 T init,
                 T step)
 {
-  using thrust::placeholders::_1;
-
-  thrust::tabulate(exec, first, last, init + step * _1);
+  // XXX TODO use a placeholder expression here
+  thrust::tabulate(exec, first, last, sequence_detail::sequence_functor<T>(init, step));
 } // end sequence()