This is an important point, but it also highlights how the concept of gliders is almost tautological. Any sequence of entangled causes and effects could be considered a glider, even if it undergoes superficial transformations.
I agree with this. I think that the most useful part of the concept is to force making the difference between the “superficial transformations” and the “things that stays”.
I also think that it’s useful to think about text features that are not (or unlikely to be) gliders like
The tone of a memorized quote
A random date chosen to fill a blank in an administrative report
The characters in a short story, part of a list of short stories. In general, every feature coming before a strong context switch is unlikely to be transmitted further.
I agree with this. I think that the most useful part of the concept is to force making the difference between the “superficial transformations” and the “things that stays”.
I also think that it’s useful to think about text features that are not (or unlikely to be) gliders like
The tone of a memorized quote
A random date chosen to fill a blank in an administrative report
The characters in a short story, part of a list of short stories. In general, every feature coming before a strong context switch is unlikely to be transmitted further.