Method of altering a software product in response to predetermined events

A method of adapting a software product to an environment, the method comprising:

• providing the software product with a stable portion of code including instructions for performing a predetermined function, at least one aspect of performing the predetermined function being controllable by a functional parameter value;
• providing the software product with a variable portion of code having stored therein the functional parameter value, a mutation rate, and a set of lineage-relevant information relating to a plurality of lineage-relevant events resulting in the software product;
• providing the software product with a portion of code that includes instructions for changing the functional parameter value in response to an occurrence of a predetermined event associated with the environment and a determination that the functional parameter value should mutate;
• and
• responsive to an occurrence of a second predetermined event associated with the environment;
• using the mutation rate to determine if the functional parameter value should mutate;
• and
• changing the functional parameter value in response to a determination that the functional parameter value should mutate,
• wherein said second predetermined event is the same event as, or a different event from, the predetermined event associated with the environment.

A method of adapting a software product to an environment, the method comprising:

• providing the software product with a stable portion of code including instructions for performing a predetermined function, at least one aspect of performing the predetermined function being controllable by a functional parameter value;
• providing the software product with a variable portion of code having stored therein the functional parameter value, a mutation rate, and a set of lineage-relevant information relating to a plurality of lineage-relevant events resulting in the software product;
• providing the software product with a portion of code that includes instructions for changing the functional parameter value in response to an occurrence of a predetermined event associated with the environment and a determination that the functional parameter value should mutate;
• and
• responsive to an occurrence of a predetermined event selected from the group consisting of a user-to-user copying event, an operation of the software product, an unlocking of a product feature, and a change to a predetermined functional parameter of the software product, using the mutation rate to determine if the functional parameter value should mutate,
• changing the functional parameter value by substantially randomly selecting a new functional parameter from a predetermined range of values in response to a determination that the functional parameter value should mutate, and
• modifying the set of lineage-relevant information to include information relating to the occurrence of the predetermined event associated with the environment.

A method of adapting a software product to an environment, the method comprising:

• providing a plurality of software products, each having a stable portion of code including instructions for performing a predetermined function, at least one aspect of performing the predetermined function being controllable by a functional parameter value, a variable portion of code having stored therein the functional parameter value, a mutation rate, and a set of lineage-relevant information relating to a plurality of lineage-relevant events resulting in the software product, and a portion of code that includes instructions for changing the functional parameter value in response to an occurrence of a predetermined event associated with the environment and a determination that the functional parameter value should mutate;
• receiving at a central database a transmission of the lineage-relevant information from at least a portion of the plurality of software products;
• and
• performing a statistical analysis of the lineage-relevant information from all of the at least a portion of the plurality of software products to ascertain a set of characteristics for the software products.

A computer program product for performing a predetermined function, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable medium;
• first code including a stable portion that is stored on the medium and that includes instructions for performing the predetermined function, at least one aspect of performing the predetermined function being controllable by a functional parameter value;
• second code including a variable portion that is stored on the medium and that includes the functional parameter value and a mutation rate;
• and
• third code that is stored on the medium and that includes instructions for modifying the functional parameter value in response to an occurrence of a predetermined event.

A computer program product for performing a predetermined function, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable medium;
• first code including a stable portion that is stored on the medium and that includes instructions for performing the predetermined function, at least one aspect of performing the predetermined function being controllable by a functional parameter value;
• second code including a variable portion that is stored on the medium and that includes the functional parameter value, a mutation rate, and a set of lineage-relevant information relating to at least one lineage-relevant event resulting in the computer program product, the variable portion being configured for receiving additional information relating to at least one of a user-to-user copying event, an operation of the computer program product, an unlocking of features of the computer program product, or a change to functional parameters of the computer program product;
• and
• third code that is stored on the medium and that includes means for identifying an occurrence of a predetermined event, and means for modifying the functional parameter value in response to the occurrence of the predetermined event.