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Life & fun · December 14, 2010

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A Genetic Algorithm I wrote in JavaScript to evolve "Hello World"

A Genetic Algorithm I wrote in JavaScript to evolve "Hello World" launched on December 14, 2010 with 109 votes, #3 of 98 launches that month and more than 95% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 15 years on.

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In plain words

A genetic algorithm written in JavaScript that demonstrates evolutionary computation by starting with random strings and progressively evolving them toward the phrase "Hello World." Designed as an educational introduction to machine learning concepts, it's intended for developers with casual interest in how evolutionary algorithms work. The project uses a known target solution to clearly illustrate how genetic algorithms refine populations over generations.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

This article works through the creation of a ‘toy’ genetic algorithm which starts with a few hundred random strings and evolves towards the phrase “Hello World!”. It’s a toy example because we know in advance what the optimum solution is – the phrase “Hello World!” – but it provides a nice simple introduction to evolutionary algorithms. I have written this article primarily for developers who have a casual interest in machine learning. I don’t talk much about the implementation of the code itself because there’s not much of interest there – the beauty of genetic algorithms is their simplicity, so the code isn’t…from puremango.co.uk

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