### xlife-5.0 README file

    		XLIFE -- a cellular-automaton laboratory

        This program will evolve patterns for John Horton Conway's game of Life.
    It will also handle general cellular automata with the orthogonal neighborhood
    and up to 8 states (it's possible to recompile for more states, but very
    expensive in memory).  Transition rules and sample patterns are provided
    for the 8-state automaton of E. F. Codd, the Wireworld automaton, and a whole
    class of `Prisoner's Dilemma' games.

        See the file INSTALL for installation instructions.

        To use it, run `xlife'.  The help key is `?'.  There is a man page.

        The subdirectory `life' contains an extensive library of
    interesting Life patterns.  The subdirectory `codd' contains
    transition rules and components for the universal computer-constructor
    described in E.F Codd's "Cellular Automata" Academic Press 1968 (ACM
    Monograph #3). The subdirectory `wireworld' contains patterns for the
    `Wireworld' automaton described in the January 1990 issue of
    Scientific American (Computer Recreations, p. 146).

        Some documents on advanced pattern creation and UCC components are in
    the directory doc.

        We also include a couple of utilities:

        The `lifesearch' program by David I. Bell has been included.  You can use
    this to try to find interesting patterns and trace ancestry chains.  There
    is a man page.

        The `lifeconv' utility converts between different pattern file formats.
    There is a man page.

        The `collect' utility collects separate included files into one file
    that uses pattern blocks.  No man page, sigh.

        If you discover new and interesting life patterns, let us know! Please
    send the xlife savefile to

    	esr@snark.thyrsus.com

    (the old address, jb7m+xlife@andrew.cmu.edu, is no longer valid).  Or post to

    	comp.theory.cell-automata

        These will be incorporated into the xlife distribution.  Periodically, we
    will post the latest and greatest discoveries to comp.theory.cell-automata.

    			Jon <jcrb@cs.cmu.edu>
    			Dan <dl2n@andrew.cmu.edu>
    			Chuck <cs4n@andrew.cmu.edu>
     			Eric <esr@snark.thyrsus.com>