4 ms·

A Readable Conway's Game of Life

39 points by gsabo 14y ago

fsiefken 14y ago
Reminds me of an even more reabable coffeescript example posted a year ago on HN: http://willbailey.name/conway/docs/conway.html http://willbailey.name/conway/docs/conway.html
losethos 14y ago
more literate: http://www.losethos.com/LTHtml/Demo/Graphics/Life.html http://www.losethos.com/LTHtml/Demo/Graphics/Life.html It's interactive -- you use the mouse to paint brush strokes and it makes them alive. The default rule is a nonstandard rule.
wsbail29 14y ago
nice implementation! The color adds a lot of visual interest. Here's my monochrome implementation. http://wsb.im/conway/index.html http://wsb.im/conway/index.html
- jlarocco 14y ago
  Here's a non-literate, Javascript version I made using WebGL for the graphics: https://github.com/jl2/WebGL-Stuff/tree/master/life_game https://github.com/jl2/WebGL-Stuff/tree/master/life_game And the "live" code: http://jlarocco.com/life_js/index.html http://jlarocco.com/life_js/index.html Seems Conway's Game of Life has been popular lately.
  - gsabo 14y ago
    Bravo on making it work with WebGL! It's super smooth. I see we both went with variable names like 'up' and 'left' for the subscripts in the "neighbor count" code. I'm always looking for ways to sidestep numerical array indexing because it's such a fertile ground for bugs. For example, I find it really hard to look at: var up = i-1>0 ? -1 + i : -1 + h; ...and tell if it's correct. I used a mod_wrap function instead, which is an implementation of Python-like modulo, which 'wraps' negative numbers to the top of the range.
ihodes 14y ago
Very cool, and nice code. Just to be pedantic (I mean it in the best way), this isn't quite literate programming. A very basic explanation would be: literate programming is the result of writing a program in a sort of psuedo-code that explains the program in the order of the programmer's thoughts, and then running it through a compiler of sorts which "untangles" the literate program and outputs machine-readable code. The linked post is nicely formatted and well-documented "regular" code.
- gsabo 14y ago
  Thanks for pointing that out! I had assumed that Literate Programming was simply any programming with a focus on human readability. I've changed the title of the post and credited you at the bottom.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
huhtenberg 14y ago
Another idea for colors is to use progressively more transparent pixels for older generations. Add a bit of a hue shift and it renders some really beautiful decay visualizations.
jastanton_ 14y ago
Oh what the heck, because we're all sharing our Conways Attempts here is mine: https://github.com/JAStanton/conways-game-of-life https://github.com/JAStanton/conways-game-of-life And the live version: http://www.jastanton.com/experiments/conways-game-of-life/ http://www.jastanton.com/experiments/conways-game-of-life/ Mine acts more like a game, you can start and stop with 's' and enter draw mode with 'd' and draw on the cells.
- gsabo 14y ago
  The logical simplicity of the rules makes it impossible to resist implementation, it seems :) I love being able to draw on your version - I missed out on implementing drag events. I notice that you separate your "views" (this.cells) from your "models" (this.grid). This seems like a good idea from an MVC perspective, but I would worry that I'm forgetting to keep them in-sync in all cases.
losvedir 14y ago
And, conversely, an unreadable Game of Life in one line of APL (with explanation): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9xAKttWgP4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9xAKttWgP4
- prezjordan 14y ago
  I wish I could find videos like this but with J.
- robomartin 14y ago
  What do you mean? It's perfectly readable if you know APL.
agentultra 14y ago
The simplest version (and by my yard-stick is the de-facto measure of "readability") I've seen was at Pycon 2012 (http://azd325.github.com/Python/2012/03/23/pycon-2012-stop-writing-classes/ http://azd325.github.com/Python/2012/03/23/pycon-2012-stop-w... around 17:30). The main take away that is demonstrated is that classes aren't necessary to write this program but it's the first thing most programmers reach for when implementing it. Another thing I find a lot these days are an abundance of comments that explain what the code already explains. Some of the comments are good in this example, but many of them explain what I would know if I just read the code. However, I do like the use of color! A great demonstration. Good work. :)
- gsabo 14y ago
  I took your comment to heart and removed most of the comments in the source. I found the video inspiring (and infuriating) - just more proof that I'm a long way from unlearning my OO design tendencies. To start, I made the Neighborhood class a function instead. Thanks for sharing.
dethstarr 14y ago
Good job. I enjoyed looking at the output from an artistic point of view.
wollw 14y ago
I've been working on a sculpture project[1] based on cellular automaton for the past two semesters. It's not exactly conway's game of life as I'm mostly focused on polygonal cells. Hardware wise it's mostly just LEDs with shift registers and an ATtiny85 but the code[2] might be interesting to some, in particular dealing with figuring out what cells are and aren't neighbors when you have an ambiguous layout. I've also put together an Android simulator[3] I use for exploring ideas that defines designs using JSON but I've put a lot less work into it. [1] http://wollw.github.com/automaton-avr/ http://wollw.github.com/automaton-avr/ [2] https://github.com/Wollw/Cellular-Polymaton https://github.com/Wollw/Cellular-Polymaton [3] https://github.com/Wollw/Polymaton https://github.com/Wollw/Polymaton
ertdfgcb 14y ago
somewhat unrelated: The most beautiful implementation of life that I have ever seen is this 7 line Clojure one. It really turned me on to the value of using data structures that match the problem well. http://clj-me.cgrand.net/2011/08/19/conways-game-of-life/ http://clj-me.cgrand.net/2011/08/19/conways-game-of-life/

39 points by gsabo 14y ago

Reminds me of an even more reabable coffeescript example posted a year ago on HN: http://willbailey.name/conway/docs/conway.html http://willbailey.name/conway/docs/conway.html

losethos 14y ago

more literate: http://www.losethos.com/LTHtml/Demo/Graphics/Life.html http://www.losethos.com/LTHtml/Demo/Graphics/Life.html It's interactive -- you use the mouse to paint brush strokes and it makes them alive. The default rule is a nonstandard rule.

wsbail29 14y ago

nice implementation! The color adds a lot of visual interest. Here's my monochrome implementation. http://wsb.im/conway/index.html http://wsb.im/conway/index.html

jlarocco 14y ago
Here's a non-literate, Javascript version I made using WebGL for the graphics: https://github.com/jl2/WebGL-Stuff/tree/master/life_game https://github.com/jl2/WebGL-Stuff/tree/master/life_game And the "live" code: http://jlarocco.com/life_js/index.html http://jlarocco.com/life_js/index.html Seems Conway's Game of Life has been popular lately.
- gsabo 14y ago
  Bravo on making it work with WebGL! It's super smooth. I see we both went with variable names like 'up' and 'left' for the subscripts in the "neighbor count" code. I'm always looking for ways to sidestep numerical array indexing because it's such a fertile ground for bugs. For example, I find it really hard to look at: var up = i-1>0 ? -1 + i : -1 + h; ...and tell if it's correct. I used a mod_wrap function instead, which is an implementation of Python-like modulo, which 'wraps' negative numbers to the top of the range.

ihodes 14y ago

Very cool, and nice code. Just to be pedantic (I mean it in the best way), this isn't quite literate programming. A very basic explanation would be: literate programming is the result of writing a program in a sort of psuedo-code that explains the program in the order of the programmer's thoughts, and then running it through a compiler of sorts which "untangles" the literate program and outputs machine-readable code. The linked post is nicely formatted and well-documented "regular" code.

gsabo 14y ago
Thanks for pointing that out! I had assumed that Literate Programming was simply any programming with a focus on human readability. I've changed the title of the post and credited you at the bottom.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

huhtenberg 14y ago

Another idea for colors is to use progressively more transparent pixels for older generations. Add a bit of a hue shift and it renders some really beautiful decay visualizations.

jastanton_ 14y ago

Oh what the heck, because we're all sharing our Conways Attempts here is mine: https://github.com/JAStanton/conways-game-of-life https://github.com/JAStanton/conways-game-of-life And the live version: http://www.jastanton.com/experiments/conways-game-of-life/ http://www.jastanton.com/experiments/conways-game-of-life/ Mine acts more like a game, you can start and stop with 's' and enter draw mode with 'd' and draw on the cells.

gsabo 14y ago
The logical simplicity of the rules makes it impossible to resist implementation, it seems :) I love being able to draw on your version - I missed out on implementing drag events. I notice that you separate your "views" (this.cells) from your "models" (this.grid). This seems like a good idea from an MVC perspective, but I would worry that I'm forgetting to keep them in-sync in all cases.

losvedir 14y ago

And, conversely, an unreadable Game of Life in one line of APL (with explanation): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9xAKttWgP4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9xAKttWgP4

prezjordan 14y ago
I wish I could find videos like this but with J.
robomartin 14y ago
What do you mean? It's perfectly readable if you know APL.

agentultra 14y ago

The simplest version (and by my yard-stick is the de-facto measure of "readability") I've seen was at Pycon 2012 (http://azd325.github.com/Python/2012/03/23/pycon-2012-stop-writing-classes/ http://azd325.github.com/Python/2012/03/23/pycon-2012-stop-w... around 17:30). The main take away that is demonstrated is that classes aren't necessary to write this program but it's the first thing most programmers reach for when implementing it. Another thing I find a lot these days are an abundance of comments that explain what the code already explains. Some of the comments are good in this example, but many of them explain what I would know if I just read the code. However, I do like the use of color! A great demonstration. Good work. :)

gsabo 14y ago
I took your comment to heart and removed most of the comments in the source. I found the video inspiring (and infuriating) - just more proof that I'm a long way from unlearning my OO design tendencies. To start, I made the Neighborhood class a function instead. Thanks for sharing.

dethstarr 14y ago

Good job. I enjoyed looking at the output from an artistic point of view.

wollw 14y ago

I've been working on a sculpture project[1] based on cellular automaton for the past two semesters. It's not exactly conway's game of life as I'm mostly focused on polygonal cells. Hardware wise it's mostly just LEDs with shift registers and an ATtiny85 but the code[2] might be interesting to some, in particular dealing with figuring out what cells are and aren't neighbors when you have an ambiguous layout. I've also put together an Android simulator[3] I use for exploring ideas that defines designs using JSON but I've put a lot less work into it. [1] http://wollw.github.com/automaton-avr/ http://wollw.github.com/automaton-avr/ [2] https://github.com/Wollw/Cellular-Polymaton https://github.com/Wollw/Cellular-Polymaton [3] https://github.com/Wollw/Polymaton https://github.com/Wollw/Polymaton

ertdfgcb 14y ago

somewhat unrelated: The most beautiful implementation of life that I have ever seen is this 7 line Clojure one. It really turned me on to the value of using data structures that match the problem well. http://clj-me.cgrand.net/2011/08/19/conways-game-of-life/ http://clj-me.cgrand.net/2011/08/19/conways-game-of-life/