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From: chammers@uglz.UVic.CA (The Drunken Tree Climber)
Subject: Re: Tierra: escaping organisms
Message-ID: <1995Nov6.171438.23105@sol.UVic.CA>
Sender: news@sol.UVic.CA
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Organization: University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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Date: Mon, 6 Nov 95 17:14:38 GMT
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Java is a high level, complex, Object language.  Tierra runs on ASM.
I wish you lots of luck porting Java into Tierra.

I highly doubt you could evolve a virus using tierra even if you replaced
the 5-bit ASM tierra uses with the Intel x86 ASM.  You would have to
completely re-write Teirra to emulate an entire PC.  Testing if by
running thru a x86 would just crash the machine and get you nowhere.  I also
think the only reason tierra can evolve at a fast speed (~170 MINST) is
because of the 5-bit instruction set.  Mutations in a large instruction set
would very likely 1 the death of the program each time.  It would take
a lot longer to evolve a second program let alone a virus.

A person could take tierra code developed in the 5-bit ASM and convert
it manually to a x86 or RISK based program.  This is what we eventually want
to do.  We want to gain better network programs, etc.  Some people may
want to create virii, but I think the virii creators are going to do it 
with or with out tierra (most likely without).

Tierra is a tool for developing code, just like any C or ASM compiler.  ASM
compilers make it easier to write virii.  Tierra might make it easier, but
I don't see people complaining about ASM compilers, so I don't see why they
should complain about Tierra.
-- 
-
chammers@coastnet.com
chammers@Engr.Uvic.Ca
ue146@freenet.victoria.bc.ca
