Q20.2: Commercial software packages?

 ComputerAnts:
     ComputerAnts  is  a  $10  Windows  program that teaches principles of
     GENETIC ALGORITHMs by breeding a colony  of  ants  on  your  computer
     screen.  Users  create  ants,  food,  poison,  and  set CROSSOVER and
     MUTATION rates. Then they watch the colony slowly  evolve.   Includes
     extensive  on-line  help  and  tutorials  on  genetic algorithms. For
     further information or to order, contact: Axcelis, Inc., 4668 Eastern
     Avenue  North,  Seattle,  WA  98103-6932,  USA   Tel: (206) 632-0885.
     <72723.3614@compuserve.com>

 EnGENEer:
     Logica Cambridge Ltd.  developed  EnGENEer  as  an  in-house  GENETIC
     ALGORITHM environment to assist the development of GA applications on
     a wide range of domains. The software was written in C and runs under
     Unix  as  part of a consultancy and systems package. It supports both
     interactive (X-Windows) and batch (command-line) modes of  operation.

     EnGENEer  provides  a  number  of flexible mechanisms which allow the
     developer to rapidly bring the power of GAs to bear  on  new  problem
     domains.   Starting   with  the  Genetic  Description  Language,  the
     developer can describe, at high level, the structure of the ``genetic
     material''  used.  The  language  supports  discrete  GENEs with user
     defined  cardinality  and  includes   features   such   as   multiple
     CHROMOSOMEs models, multiple SPECIES models and non-evolvable parsing
     symbols which can be used for decoding complex genetic material.

     The user also has available a descriptive high  level  language,  the
     Evolutionary Model Language. It allows the description of the GA type
     used in terms of configurable  options  including:  POPULATION  size,
     population  structure  and  source,  SELECTION  method, CROSSOVER and
     MUTATION type  and  probability,  INVERSION,  dispersal  method,  and
     number of OFFSPRING per GENERATION.

     Both  the  Genetic  Description  Language  and the Evolutionary Model
     Language  are  fully  supported  within  the  interactive   interface
     (including online help system) and can be defined either "on the fly"
     or loaded from audit files which are automatically created  during  a
     GA run.

     Monitoring  of  GA  progress is provided via both graphical tools and
     automatic storage of results (at user defined intervals). This allows
     the user to restart EnGENEer from any point in a run, by loading both
     the POPULATION at that time and the evolutionary model that was being
     used.

     Connecting  EnGENEer  to  different  problem  domains  is achieved by
     specifying the name of the  program  used  to  evaluate  the  problem
     specific  FITNESS  function and constructing a simple parsing routine
     to  interpret  the  genetic   material.   A   library   of   standard
     interpretation   routines   are   also  provided  for  commonly  used
     representation schemes such as gray-coding,  permutations,  etc.  The
     fitness  evaluation  can then be run as either a slave process to the
     GA or via a standard handshaking routines. Better still,  it  can  be
     run  on  either the machine hosting the EnGENEer or on any sequential
     or parallel hardware capable of connecting to a Unix machine.

     For more information, contact: George Robbins,  Systems  Intelligence
     Division,  Logica  Cambridge  Ltd.,  Betjeman  House, 104 Hills Road,
     Cambridge CB2 1LQ, UK.  Tel: +44 716  379111,  Fax:  +44  223  322315
     (Unverified 8/94).


 EvoFrame:
     EvoFrame  is  to  EVOLUTION  STRATEGIEs  what  MicroGA  is to GENETIC
     ALGORITHMs, a toolkit for application development  incorporating  ESs
     as the OPTIMIZATION engine.

     EvoFrame  is  an  object  oriented  implemented  programming tool for
     EVOLUTION  STRATEGIEs   (Rechenberg/Schwefel,   Germany)   for   easy
     implementation and solution of numerical and combinatorical problems.
     EvoFrame  gives  you  freedom  of  implementing  every  byte  of  the
     OPTIMIZATION  principle  and its user interface. You can focus on the
     optimization problem and forget about all the rest.

     EvoFrame is available as Version 2.0 in Borland-Pascal 7.0 and Turbo-
     Vision  for  PC's and as Version 1.0 in C++ for Apple Macintosh using
     MPW   and   MacApp.    Both   implementations   allow   full    typed
     implementation,  i.e.   no  more  translation  from  problem specific
     format to an OPTIMIZATION  specific  one.   A  prototyping  tool  (cf
     REALizer) exists for both platforms too.

     EvoFrame  allows pseudoparallel OPTIMIZATION of many problems at once
     and you can switch optimization parameters and internal methods (i.e.
     quality  function etc.) during runtime and during optimization cycle.
     Both tools can  be  modified  or  extended  by  overloading  existing
     methods  for  experimental  use.  They  are  developed continously in
     correlation to new research results.

     The  PC  version  is  prepared  for  experimental  use   due   to   a
     comprehensive  protocolling  mechanism of optimzation cycles and user
     data. It also allows compilation of executable files  with  different
     complexity  by  setting conditional compilation flags. It can be used
     with 3 levels of stacked POPULATIONs.

     The Mac version is the more complex  (recursive)  implementation.  It
     allows stacking of any number of POPULATIONs for modelling of complex
     systems. Theory stops at multipopulation level at the time.  EvoFrame
     for  Mac  is  ready for the future, allowing any number of population
     levels.

     Ask for porting the Mac version (C++) to any other platform,  i.e.  X
     Windows.

     REALizer  is  a  tool for rapid prototyping of EvoFrame applications.
     It's an override of the corresponding framework which is prepared  to
     optimize  using  a  vector  of real numbers. All methods for standard
     EVOLUTION  and  file  handling,  etc.  are  ready  implemented.   The
     remaining  work  for the user is to define a constant for the problem
     size, fill  in  the  quality  function  and  start  the  OPTIMIZATION
     process.

     For  further information, current prices and orders, contact: Wolfram
     Stebel,  Optimum  Software,  Braunfelser  Str.  26,  35578   Wetzlar,
     Germany.  Net: <optimum@applelink.apple.com>

 Evolver:
     Evolver   is  a  complete  GENETIC  ALGORITHM  package  for  Windows.
     Beginners can use the Excel add-in to model and solve  problems  from
     within  Excel.   Advanced  users  can use the included Evolver API to
     build custom applications  that  access  any  of  the  six  different
     genetic  algorithms.  Evolver can be customized and users can monitor
     progress in  real-time  graphs,  or  change  parameters  through  the
     included  EvolverWatcher program.  The $349 package comes on two 3.5"
     disks, and includes support for Visual Basic. For further information
     or  to  order,  contact:  Axcelis,  Inc.,  4668 Eastern Avenue North,
     Seattle,    WA    98103-6932,    USA     Tel:     (206)     632-0885.
     <72723.3614@compuserve.com>

 GAME:
     GAME   (GA   Manipulation   Environment)   aims   to  demonstrate  GA
     applications and build a suitable programming ENVIRONMENT.

     GAME is being developed as  part  of  the  PAPAGENA  project  of  the
     European Community's Esprit III initiative.

     GAME  is  available  as  an  addendum to a book on PGAs (cf PAPAGENA,
     Q20.3).      And     from     the      project's      FTP      server
     bells.cs.ucl.ac.uk:/papagena/  e.g. "papagena/game/docs" contains all
     the papers that have been  produced  over  the  course  of  the  GAME
     project.    The   sources   can   also   be   obtained   by  FTP  see
     papagena/game/version2.01/

     GAME is now in version 2.01. This version is still able to  run  only
     sequential GAs, but version 3.0 will handle parallel GAs as well.

     Unfortunately,  The  project  yet  only  produced  a  Borland C++ 3.x
     version, so far.  It is intended to distribute a version for UNIX/GNU
     C++   as   well,   when  some  compatibility  issues  concerning  C++
     "standards" have been resolved. Afterward  a  UNIX  version  will  be
     released,  but  this  will  be  only  happen  after the release of PC
     version 3.0.

     For more information contact: Jose Luiz Ribeiro Filho, Department  of
     Computer  Science,  University  College  London, Gower Street, London
     WC1E 6BT, UK.  Net: <zeluiz@cs.ucl.ac.uk> (Unverified 8/94).

 MicroGA:
     MicroGA is a powerful and flexible new tool which allows  programmers
     to  integrate  GAs  into  their software quickly and easily. It is an
     object-oriented C++ framework that comes with full  source  code  and
     documentation  as well as three sample applications. Also included is
     the Galapagos code generator which allows users  to  create  complete
     applications interactively without writing any C++ code, and a sample
     MacApp interface.

     MicroGA is available for Macintosh II or higher with MPW  and  a  C++
     compiler, and also in a Microsoft Windows version for PC compatibles.
     Compiled applications made with MicroGA can be sold  without  license
     fee. MicroGA is priced at $249.

     Galapagos is a tool for use with Emergent Behavior's MicroGA Toolkit.
     It allows a user to define a function and set of  constraints  for  a
     problem  that  the  user wants to solve using the GA.  Galapagos then
     generates a complete C++ program using the information supplied. Then
     all  the  user  has  to  do  is  to compile these files, using either
     Turbo/Borland  C++  (PC,  MS  Windows),  or  MPW  and  C++   compiler
     (Macintosh), and link the resulting code to the MicroGA library. Then
     just run the  program.  Galapagos  comes  free  with  every  copy  of
     MicroGA.

     For  further  information and orders, contact: Steve Wilson, Emergent
     Behavior,  635  Wellsbury  Way,  Palo  Alto,  CA  94306,  USA.   Net:
     <emergent@aol.com>

     MicroGA  is distributed in Germany by Optimum Software (cf EvoFrame &
     REALizer entries).

 Omega:
     The Omega Predictive Modeling System, marketed by KiQ Limited,  is  a
     powerful  approach  to  developing  predictive  models.  It  exploits
     advanced GA techniques to create a tool which is "flexible, powerful,
     informative  and  straightforward  to  use".  Omega  is geared to the
     financial domain, with applications in Direct  Marketing,  Insurance,
     Investigations   and   Credit   Management.  The  ENVIRONMENT  offers
     facilities for automatic handling of data; business,  statistical  or
     custom  measures  of PERFORMANCE, simple and complex profit modeling,
     validation  sample  tests,  advanced  confidence  tests,  real   time
     graphics, and optional control over the internal GA.

     For  further  information,  contact:  KiQ,  Business Modeling Systems
     Ltd., Easton Hall, Great Easton, Essex CM6 2HD,  UK.   Tel:  +44  371
     870254 (Unverified 8/94).

 OOGA:
     OOGA  (Object-Oriented  GA)  is  a  GENETIC  ALGORITHM  designed  for
     industrial use.  It includes examples accompanying  the  tutorial  in
     the companion "Handbook of Genetic Algorithms". OOGA is designed such
     that each of the techniques employed by a GA is an object that may be
     modified,  displayed  or replaced in object-oriented fashion. OOGA is
     especially well-suited for individuals wishing to modify the basic GA
     techniques or tailor them to new domains.

     The  buyer  of  OOGA also receives Genesis (see above).  This release
     sports an improved user interface.  OOGA and  Genesis  are  available
     together  on  3.5''  or  5.25''  disk  for  $60  ($52.50 inside North
     America) by order from: The Software Partnership (T.S.P.),  P.O.  Box
     991, Melrose, MA 02176, USA.  Tel: +1 617 662 8991 (Unverified 8/94).

 PC-Beagle:
     PC-Beagle is a rule-finder program for PCs which examines a  database
     of  examples  and uses machine-learning techniques to create a set of
     decision rules for classifying those examples, thus turning data into
     knowledge.   The  system  contains six major components, one of which
     (HERB - the "Heuristic Evolutionary Rule Breeder") uses GA techniques
     to generate rules by natural SELECTION.

     PC-Beagle  is  available to educational users for 69 pounds sterling.
     Orders, payment or requests for information should be  addressed  to:
     Richard Forsyth, Pathway Research Ltd., 59 Cranbrook Rd., Bristol BS6
     7BS, UK.  Tel: +44 272 428692 (Unverified 8/94).

 XpertRule GenAsys:
     XpertRule GenAsys is an expert system  shell  with  embedded  GENETIC
     ALGORITHM  marketed  by  Attar Software. Targeted to solve scheduling
     and design applications, this system combines the  power  of  genetic
     algorithms  in  evolving  solutions  with  the  power  of  rule-based
     programming in analyzing the effectiveness of  solutions.  Rule-based
     programming  can  also be used to generate the initial POPULATION for
     the  genetic  algorithm  and  for  post-optimization  planning.  Some
     examples  of  design  and  scheduling problems which can be solved by
     this system include: OPTIMIZATION of design parameters in  electronic
     and  avionic  industries,  route  optimization  in  the  distribution
     sector, production scheduling in manufacturing, etc.

     For further information,  contact:  Attar  Software,  Newlands  Road,
     Leigh,  Lancashire,  UK.   Tel:  +44  942 608844.  (Unverified 8/94).
     Last known address  <100166.1547@CompuServe.com>.  This  now  bounces
     back with "user unknown".


 XYpe:
     XYpe  (The  GA Engine) is a commercial GA application and development
     package for the Apple Macintosh. Its standard user  interface  allows
     you  to  design CHROMOSOMEs, set attributes of the genetic engine and
     graphically display its progress. The development package provides  a
     set  of  Think C libraries and include files for the design of new GA
     applications. XYpe supports adaptive operator weights and mixtures of
     alpha, binary, gray, ordering and real number codings.

     The  price  of  $725  (in  Massachusetts  add  5% sales tax) plus $15
     shipping  and  handling  includes   technical   support   and   three
     documentation  manuals.   XYpe  requires a Macintosh SE or newer with
     2MB RAM running OS V6.0.4 or  greater,  and  Think  C  if  using  the
     development package.

     Currently  the  GA  engine  is  working;  the  user interface will be
     completed on demand. Interested parties should  contact:  Ed  Swartz,
     Virtual  Image,  Inc.,  75  Sandy Pond Road #11, Ayer, MA 01432, USA.
     Tel: +1 (508) 772-4225 (Unverified 8/94).
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