Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!ukc!acorn!camcon!mrh From: mrh@camcon.co.uk (Mark Hughes) Newsgroups: comp.ai.neural-nets Subject: Re: Genetic Algorithm Information Wanted Message-ID: <5449@titan.camcon.co.uk> Date: 13 Feb 90 12:21:01 GMT References: <375@tako.kuee.kyoto-u.ac.jp> Organization: Cambridge Consultants Ltd., Cambridge, UK Lines: 120 lao@sohc.kuee.kyoto-u.ac.jp writes: > Recently, I am doing research in genetic algorithms. One or >two months ago, I read a news in this NG about GA simulator >for IBM/PC, but I lost the email address. If you has it, please >send me a message. Also I would like to know other informations >about GA especially the countermeasures against premature >convergence. > I would appreciate any suggestions. Thank you very in advance. I am the poster, author and distributor of the GA simulator. A copy is being mailed to you today. I had intended to post it to comp.binaries.ibm.pc, but this group is not functioning at the moment due to the lack of a moderator. In the mean time, I am emailing a uuencoded archive to anyone who is interested, or mailing a disk (non-preferred) to anyone who can't decode the email version. In case you are wondering what this program is, an extract from the README file follows. If you want a copy, email your request to me at mrh@camcon.co.uk stating email or snail mail. If you already have a copy of this program - why not email me some feedback, including something about your interests/work with genetic algorithms? README extract starts........................................ FILE README - introduction to the genetic algorithm workbench disk Copyright (C) Mark Hughes 1989. All rights reserved. WHAT IS THIS? ------------- This file is distributed with a self extracting archive containing a program call the Genetic Algorithm Workbench and its documentation. The program is an interactive tool/demonstration for experimentation with genetic algorithms (see next). It enables you to set problems (i.e. draw a function f(x) using a mouse) and to try out different flavours of genetic algorithm to see how well they can find the global maximum of the function. WHAT IS A GENETIC ALGORITHM? ---------------------------- The documentation gives a far more useful explanation, but briefly: A genetic algorithm is an optimisation/search technique based on evolution. They are extremely effective algorithms for solving very complex multi-variable optimisation problems and have generated interest in a wide range of engineering fields. HOW DO I USE THIS SOFTWARE? --------------------------- You must have access to an IBM compatible personal computer running MS-DOS or PC-DOS, a mouse and an EGA compatible display. It will work in VGA mode, but unless the VGA display is put into EGA emulation will give a squashed display. If you have access to such a machine, you will need to extract the files from the archive which is done by changing to a (preferably empty) directory on a disk with about 400K of free space, inserting the distribution disk in drive a: and typing a:extract This should result in the following files being extracted into the current directory: gaw.exe - the executable program gaw.txt - gaw manual (Unformatted ASCII text) gaw.ps - gaw manual (Postscript format) fig1.ps - figure 1 for insertion in the manual (Postscript format) gaw.fx - gaw manual (Epson FX80 format) fig1.fx - figure 1 (Epson FX80 format) If you have plenty of disk space, you can extract the files by copying the file gawarc.exe into an empty directory and typing gawarc This will have the same effect, but requires enough disk space for both the extracted files and the archive. The manual gives details of how to run the program. The ".ps" files should print out directly on any Postscript compatible printer, and the ".fx" files should print out on an Epson FX80 or compatible dot matrix printer. If you can't print any of these out, the file "gaw.txt" is reasonably readable with type gaw.txt | more or your favourite file viewer. Apologies for the need to paste the figure into the manual by hand. Isn't technology wonderful? Have fun, Mark Hughes 21 Arbury Road, Cambridge, CB4 2JB. UK. mrh@camcon.co.uk README extract ends.......................................... -- ---------------- Eml: mrh@camcon.co.uk or mrh@camcon.uucp | Mark Hughes | Tel: +44 (0) 223 420024 Cambridge Consultants Ltd. |(Compware & CCL)| Fax: +44 (0) 223 423373 The Science Park, Milton Road, ---------------- Tlx: 81481 (CCL G) Cambridge, UK. (Me, an opinion?)