EvoluText

This is the first release of this software. I'll be updating it as bugs are fixed or features are added. Comments, questions and concerns can be addressed in the EvoluText message board.

EvoluText is a simulation of the evolutionary mechanism of selection. The purpose is not as a full evolutionary simulation, it only the abstraction and simulation of selection. This is interesting, in that it shows how selection can produce order from randomness.

The primary unit of operation is a text block. When the software is first run, it generates text blocks with a random set of characters. It then sorts those text blocks by how closely they match a target block of text. Then it mates the top 50% of the text blocks. This is done by alternating characters from each into the child block. When that is done, it mutates one or more letters in the block.

This process repeats over many generations until there is a 100% match to the target text.

The folowing are the fields that control operation, and how they are used.

• Target Text specifies the text which is the target of the selection process.
• Minimum Text Length specifies the minimum length of a text block. The generated blocks wil have a random length greater than this. When reproduction happens, sometimes an extra character will be tacked on to the end of a block, or removed. But the resulting size will never be less than this number.
• Maximum Text Lengthspecifies the maximum length of a text block. The generated blocks wil have a random length less than this. When reproduction happens, sometimes an extra character will be tacked on to the end of a block, or removed. But the resulting size will never be greater than this number.
• Maximum Reproductive Units specifies the maximum number of text blocks being used in this simulation.
• Minimum Reproductive Units specifies the minimum number of text blocks being used in this simulation.
• Reproductive Style Thsi is either sexual or asexual. When it is asexual, reproductive units essetially perform the mate process with themselves, instead of with the blocks closest to them, which is how sexual reproduction works.
• Maximum Mutations Per Unit specifies how many mutations can take place in a single text block per generation. The value 1 seems to work best.
• Go runs the simulation, or resumes if it has been paused.
• Stop halts the simulation and presents the results so far. Pressing go will start the simulation over.
• Pause pauses the simulation, this presents the current results.
• Generations presents the last ten generations. Selecting a generation will fill the list in the top right with the current text blocks, sorted by percentage match.
• Current BlocksDisplays information about the text blocks in the slected generation. selecting a block, will fill the bottom right memo field with the text of that block.

Clicking the "Download," link at the bottom of this page will download the installer for this program. Just run that when downloading is complete. You will be stepped through the installation process.

Download and install EvoluText, now.