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Alan Canon

WatchmakerSuite is a set of four educational computer programs written by Richard Dawkins and collaborators in the early 1990s. The programs teach principles of biological selection and embryology by simulating "creatures" with gene-controlled heredity.

Developer documentation (javadoc) may be found here.

[The Watchmaker Strategy] documents the approach we are taking.

[Download]
[Develop]

The programs were from 1990-1993 using the Think Pascal 4.0 compiler for the classic Macintosh (m68k) platform.

The current project is intended to bring the original Pascal source code up to date in deliberate, gradual stages:

Data Structures

[Monochrome biomorph]

Compiler Specifications

Year Hardware Latest Operating System Supported Compiler Interface
1991 Classic Mac 68k Mac OS 8.1 Think Pascal 4.0.2 Classic Mac Toolbox + Think Pascal extensions
2000 PowerPC Mac Mac OS 9.0.4 Think Pascal 4.0.2 Classic Mac Toolbox + Think Pascal extensions
2001 PowerPC Mac Mac OS 9.0.4 CodeWarrior 7.1 + Pascal Revised PowerPC Mac Toolbox
2001 PowerPC Mac Mac OS 9.0.4 CodeWarrior 7.1 + Pascal Carbon
200? PowerPC "PowerMac" Mac OS X 10.4 CodeWarrior 7.1 + Pascal Carbon
200? PowerPC "PowerMac" Mac OS X 10.4 Free Pascal Carbon
200? Intel Mac Mac OS X Yosemite Free Pascal Carbon
200? Intel Mac Mac OS X Yosemite Free Pascal Cocoa

from the original classic Mac platform, using Think Pascal
to the later PowerPC platform running up to Mac OS 9
thence the PowerMac G4 platform, running early Mac OS X (10.3 or 10.4)
Intel Macintosh platform
*Other platforms.

Vernal Equinox 2015

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Colour Biomorphs
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Monochrome Biomofphs


Project Members:


Related

Wiki: Download
Wiki: Monochrome biomorph
Wiki: The Watchmaker Strategy

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