Generalized evolutionary algorithms

Abstract

People have been inventing and tinkering with various forms of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) since the 1950s when digital computers became more readily available to scientists and engineers. Today we see a wide variety of EAs and an impressive array of applications. This diversity is both a blessing and a curse. It serves as strong evidence for the usefulness of these techniques, but makes it difficult to see "the big picture" and make decisions regarding which EAs are best suited for new application areas. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a broader "generalized" perspective.