- Cellsprings comes in two editions,
Cellsprings/Web, a Java applet, and Cellsprings/DT,
a Java desktop application. The latter has
additional capabilities made possible by its local file access. The two
versions have the same popup main window, save for a few file-related
menu-item and button differences.
- Both editions let you save files. In the
Cs/Web case, by a
somewhat circuitous course they wind up in common directories on the server
from which they may (if not an export-only file type) subsequently
be opened into the applet by any user. These directories are also publicly
available to browsers for general perusal and download.
- Cellsprings comes with over 70 of the "springiest" CA rules
as presets,
and also lets you define, run, and save arbitrary
rules in several built-in rulespaces:
- Moore and von Neumann outer totalistic rules, with and without refractory decay.
- Moore and von Neumann general (exhaustive) 1-bit rule tables, with and without refractory decay.
- von Neumann general 2-bit rules.
- Moore and von Neumann cyclic totalistic-threshold rules.
- To supplement the built-in rulespaces, both editions of
Cellsprings are extensible by means of plug-in classes called
springlets. With the desktop edition this feature lets
you run
just about any rule you can code in Java, subject to the global constraints
of the Cellsprings environment (2D, first-order, maximum
cellsize of 256, etc.).
- You can save states or even sequences of states. The states are saved as
standard GIF89a files, complete with optional textual annotation, and may be
read back in to seed an orbit at a later time. The state sequences are
exported in animated GIF format. AFAIK, no other CA program allows the
recording of animated GIF orbit movies.
- You may open a separate window to chart the
progress, as the CA updates, of two key CA demographic variables.
- The width and height of the CA universe, which in Cellsprings
is closed and in full view at all times, may be set to any size within
their permissible ranges. AFAIK,
Cellsprings is the only general purpose CA program - on any
platform - that lets you do this.
Cellsprings takes universe size seriously because, for a finite
CA, the universe is not just a "playing field" - it's part of the CA's
definition, playing a significant part in determining the number and
structure of its orbits (q.v. Wolfram).
- Cellsprings supports arbitrary color maps. There are several
built in, and the desktop edition supports loading your own in standard 256
color GIF format.
- The program has a variety of options for
seeding orbits "randomly"
(density control, regional randomization, perturbation, and so on) and
with simple seeds (blocks and frames).
- Cellsprings also includes, though at a fairly basic level:
- Standard CA program necessities such as display magnification control
(zoom), resizable display window, the ability to toggle or cycle individual
cells with the mouse, and control over update rate.
- Standard help features such as status bar hints, quick tips, and
HTML help files.
Copyright © 1998-2000 J. M. G. Elliott.
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