# Golly > **Machine-Evolution Nexus:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] places this node within the history and governance of substrate-independent evolution. **Domain:** Software / Cellular Automata **Doc Type:** Canonical Wiki Node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Golly is an open-source simulator for Conway’s Life and other cellular automata with support for large-pattern algorithms including Hashlife. ## Nexus Context It supplied the operational environment in which Hutton implemented Codd’s machine and continues to support artificial-life and cellular-automaton research. ## Evidence Boundary Golly is an instrument, not the evolving system itself. Results depend on rules, initial states, implementation and verification. ## Relationships [[wiki/Hashlife|Hashlife]], [[wiki/Tim Hutton|Tim Hutton]], [[wiki/Cellular Automata|Cellular Automata]], [[wiki/Scientific Instrument|Scientific Instrument]] ## Sources / Provenance - Golly project documentation: https://golly.sourceforge.net/