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Hi Folks, I have implemented the Game of Life[1] using XSLT. It's kinda neat! It nicely demonstrates some aspects of complex systems such as evolution, attractors and feedback. For example, here is a simple starting configuration (a filled-in square means it's a live cell, an empty square means it's a dead cell): http://www.xfront.com/life/orig.html After applying the rules of Life once, the configuration evolves to this: http://www.xfront.com/life/out1.html Then, after applying the rules of Life to that output (i.e., feedback), the configuration evolves to this: http://www.xfront.com/life/out2.html Below I chronicle the configuration's evolution. It settles into a repeating pattern when it gets to the sixth iteration (the pattern alternates between configuration 5 and 6 indefinitely). These two states represents an "attractor". http://www.xfront.com/life/out3.html http://www.xfront.com/life/out4.html http://www.xfront.com/life/out5.html http://www.xfront.com/life/out6.html Each configuration is represented as an XML document. Here is the initial configuration: http://www.xfront.com/life/orig-Input.xml Here is the stylesheet which applies the Life rules, and produces the next configuration: http://www.xfront.com/life/GameOfLife.xsl Here is a stylesheet which creates a graphical image of a configuration: http://www.xfront.com/life/GameOfLifeViewer.xsl Many thanks to Tom Passin, Len Bullard, Didier Martin and Bob Foster for their excellent suggestions and insight! /Roger [1] http://www.math.com/students/wonders/life/life.html
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