Software Download (Page 1)
You will be able to download Rudy Rucker's alife programs by
entering our site through ftp: anonymous...
There are eight files for ftp downloading. All are compressed using the
PKZIP utility, and must be uncompressed by using PKUNZIP. The files with
"EXE" in their names include an executable DOS graphics program
with support files. These programs should run on any DOS machine with VGA
graphics.
The files with "SRC" in their names include source code for the
corresponding "EXE" programs. If you are not interested in programming,
then you may not want to bother downloading the source code. With the exception
of Spiro, the source is in each case complete, and was in fact used to build
the corresponding "EXE" program.
The compiler used was Borland C++ 4.0. If you know programming, then you
may be able to use the source code to build an executable for a different
platform, e.g. Mac, Unix, Windows, etc. (If you manage to do this, let Switch
know!) All of these files are provided "as is," with no guarantees.
Rudy Rucker does not undertake to provide any technical support whatsoever.
The files are provided on a shareware basis. This means that you can freely
copy them, but that you cannot use them for any commercial purpose without
having a written agreement with Rudy Rucker. All the files are Copyright
(C) 1994 Rudy Rucker.
About downloading with ftp. [Put info here]
SOURCE.RD
About Using The Source Code The source code for the programs is for building
a DOS application on a DOS machine. The source code for the Spiro program
is in Turbo Pascal, and the source code for Vine, Calife, and Julgnarl is
Borland C++. As I don't currently have a Pascal compiler, I was unable to
test if the Spiro source code still compiles correctly. (Sometimes, with
old source-code the mysterious process of "bit-rot" sets in!)
I did recently recompile the source code for Vine, Julgnarl, and Calife,
using Borland C++ 4.0. If you have this particular compiler, you need only
start it up in Windows, load the relevant project file, and select Make.
Note that the Borland C++ 4.0 project files have the *.IDE file extension,
although *.PRJ project files can also be used. (I provide CALIFE.PRJ but
not CALIFE.IDE.) These three programs can also be compiled with the less
expensive Borland compiler known as Turbo C++. This compiler can't use the
*.IDE project files, instead it uses *.PRJ project files. I provide a VINE.PRJ
file, but you would need to make your own JULGNARL.PRJ. Your project files
should include all of the *.OBJ and *.CPP files that are in the relevant
????1SRC.ZIP file. Your project file should also include the Borland Graphics
library GRAPHICS.LIB (or you can adjust a Turbo C++ menu-setting to link
in this library automatically). Use the LARGE model type for JULGNARL and
the SMALL model type for CALIFE and for VINE.
If you wish to use a different compiler, you will need to check your compiler
manual for the names of the graphics functions analogous to such Borland
Graphics functions as putpixel(); also you will not want to link in the
special Borland module EGAVGA.OBJ. It may also be that the randomizing functions
of your other compiler have different names from the names used by Borland.
It is fairly easy to port any of these programs to a windows-based operating
system such as Windows, Macintosh, or X-Windows. First you have to find
the appropriate names for the memory allocation functions, the randomizing
functions and the handful of graphics functions. And then you need a top-level
widowed program that executes a step of the target program loop whenever
there's no messages on the queue.
