In the days before the Watchmaker Framework the two most popular Java evolutionary computation libraries were probably ECJ (Evolutionary Computation [in/for] Java) and JGAP (Java Genetic Algorithms Package). Since the advent of Watchmaker the two
This is a bug fix release that addresses a couple of issues with thread management. In version 0.6.1, if you were creating and discarding multiple ConcurrentEvolutionEngines, the threads from the discarded engines would not be cleared up properly.
I’ve just uploaded version 0.6.1 of the Watchmaker Framework for Evolutionary Computation. If you’re not already familiar with the project, it is a library for implementing evolutionary/genetic algorithms in Java. It’s
Version 0.6.0 of the Watchmaker Framework for Evolutionary Computation is now available for download. This release incorporates several minor changes that I’ve been making over the last few months. Consult the changelog for full details, but
In my previous article about evolutionary computation, I glossed over the concept of elitism. The Watchmaker Framework’s evolve methods require you to specify an elite count. I told you to set this parameter to zero and forget about it. This brief article ties up that loose end by explaining how to use elitism to improve [...]
If an evolutionary algorithm is a good fit for a particular problem, there are plenty of options when it comes to implementing it. You may choose to use a high-level programming language for simplicity, or a low-level language for performance. You could write all of the code yourself from scratch, or you could reuse pre-written [...]
Software is normally developed in a very precise, deterministic way. The behaviour of a computer is governed by strict logical rules. A computer invariably does exactly what it is told to do.
When writing a program to solve a particular problem
It’s been very nearly a year since the last release (0.4.3) of the Watchmaker Framework for Evolutionary Computation so, before 2008 disappears completely, it’s time for a new version that includes some of the stuff that I’ve been working on
One feature that has been on the TODO list of the Watchmaker Framework for Evolutionary Computation for some time is the ability to distribute the evolution across several machines. Some time last year I started on a RMI-based solution, but I wasn’t happy with it so I deleted it and put the idea on the [...]
I just spotted this on comp.ai.genetic. The authors of a new book called A Field Guide to Genetic Programming have made it available for download in PDF form free of charge. Weighing in at around 200 pages, it looks like a reasonably concise introduction to the topic (unlike some of the huge and hideously expensive [...]