(26-05-2026, 03:45 PM)Jorge_Stolfi wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.But that is the point. Once "otam" and "tol" and "tar" have become frequent, what is stopping them from mutating into "tam"?
An you still haven't answered the oldest objection. The proposed algorithm for generating Voynichese-like gibberish text starts with
Step 1. Generate a Voynichese-like gibberish seed text.
Step 2. ...
See the problem there?
All the best, --stolfi
That’s exactly the point. Nothing stops otam, tol, or tar from becoming tam unless the system has constraints that block or disfavor that move. That is why “copy and mutate” alone is not enough.
My argument is not that any mutation process will work. Most of them do not. They collapse into bad forms very quickly. The useful question is: what constraints are necessary to keep the text inside the observed Voynich range?
On the seed objection: yes, if the method requires a fully Voynich-like seed text, that is circular. But my claim is narrower. The seed does not have to be a finished explanation of the whole manuscript. It only has to be a starting sample plus a legality system. After that, the question becomes whether the process can expand from that starting point without collapsing. So I agree with the objection if the claim is “Voynichese comes from already-existing Voynichese.” That proves nothing. But if a small seed plus constraints can generate stable output while weak or unconstrained versions fail, then we have learned something about the production mechanism.
And, if you look at f1r, it seeds itself.