1. A method, executing on a data processing system having a controller and a memory, for recognizing one of a plurality of predefined patterns in a data stream received by the data processing system using a recognition network, the recognition network comprising a plurality of nodes, a plurality of transitions connecting the nodes and an amount of memory usable to store at least one of at least one bit data element, at least one counter data element and at least one other data structure, at least some of the nodes including at least one instruction for interacting with at least one of a bit data element, a counter data element and another data structure, the method comprising: inputting a stream of data comprising a plurality of ordered data elements; transitioning from a current node of the recognition network to a next node of the transition network, the next node being one of the current node and another node of the recognition network, based on a next one of the plurality of ordered data elements of the stream of data; entering the next node, executing, upon entering the next node, if the next node includes at least one instruction for interacting with at least one of a bit data element, a counter data element and another data element, that instruction; determining, based upon executing the at least one instruction, if an acceptance condition has been met; and outputting, if the acceptance condition has been met, an alert indicating that the acceptance condition has occurred.