Task: Evolutionary algorithm
C#: using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;

static class Program {
    static Random Rng = new Random((int)DateTime.Now.Ticks);

    static char NextCharacter(this Random self) {
        const string AllowedChars = " ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ";
        return AllowedChars[self.Next() % AllowedChars.Length];
    }

    static string NextString(this Random self, int length) {
        return String.Join("", Enumerable.Repeat(' ', length)
            .Select(c => Rng.NextCharacter()));
    }

    static int Fitness(string target, string current) {
        return target.Zip(current, (a, b) => a == b ? 1 : 0).Sum();
    }

    static string Mutate(string current, double rate) {
        return String.Join("", from c in current
               select Rng.NextDouble() <= rate ? Rng.NextCharacter() : c);
    }

    static void Main(string[] args) {
        const string target = "METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL";
        const int C = 100;
        const double P = 0.05;

        
        string parent = Rng.NextString(target.Length);

        Console.WriteLine("START:       {0,20} fitness: {1}", 
            parent, Fitness(target, parent));
        int i = 0;

        while (parent != target) {
            
            var candidates = Enumerable.Range(0, C + 1)
                .Select(n => n > 0 ? Mutate(parent, P) : parent);

            
            parent = candidates.OrderByDescending(c => Fitness(target, c)).First();

            ++i;
            Console.WriteLine("     #{0,6} {1,20} fitness: {2}", 
                i, parent, Fitness(target, parent));
        }

        Console.WriteLine("END: #{0,6} {1,20}", i, parent);
    }
}

C++: #include <string>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <iostream>
#include <cassert>
#include <algorithm>
#include <vector>
#include <ctime>

std::string allowed_chars = " ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ";






class selection
{
public:
  
  
  
  
  static int fitness(std::string candidate)
  {
    assert(target.length() == candidate.length());

    int fitness_so_far = 0;

    for (int i = 0; i < target.length(); ++i)
    {
      int target_pos = allowed_chars.find(target[i]);
      int candidate_pos = allowed_chars.find(candidate[i]);
      int diff = std::abs(target_pos - candidate_pos);
      fitness_so_far -= std::min(diff, int(allowed_chars.length()) - diff);
    }

    return fitness_so_far;
  }

  
  static int target_length() { return target.length(); }
private:
  static std::string target;
};

std::string selection::target = "METHINKS IT IS LIKE A WEASEL";


void move_char(char& c, int distance)
{
  while (distance < 0)
    distance += allowed_chars.length();
  int char_pos = allowed_chars.find(c);
  c = allowed_chars[(char_pos + distance) % allowed_chars.length()];
}



std::string mutate(std::string parent, double mutation_rate)
{
  for (int i = 0; i < parent.length(); ++i)
    if (std::rand()/(RAND_MAX + 1.0) < mutation_rate)
    {
      int distance = std::rand() % 3 + 1;
      if(std::rand()%2 == 0)
        move_char(parent[i], distance);
      else
        move_char(parent[i], -distance);
    }
  return parent;
}



bool less_fit(std::string const& s1, std::string const& s2)
{
  return selection::fitness(s1) < selection::fitness(s2);
}

int main()
{
  int const C = 100;

  std::srand(time(0));

  std::string parent;
  for (int i = 0; i < selection::target_length(); ++i)
  {
    parent += allowed_chars[std::rand() % allowed_chars.length()];
  }

  int const initial_fitness = selection::fitness(parent);

  for(int fitness = initial_fitness;
      fitness < 0;
      fitness = selection::fitness(parent))
  {
    std::cout << parent << ": " << fitness << "\n";
    double const mutation_rate = 0.02 + (0.9*fitness)/initial_fitness;
    std::vector<std::string> childs;
    childs.reserve(C+1);

    childs.push_back(parent);
    for (int i = 0; i < C; ++i)
      childs.push_back(mutate(parent, mutation_rate));

    parent = *std::max_element(childs.begin(), childs.end(), less_fit);
  }
  std::cout << "final string: " << parent << "\n";
}