SNOBOL4RANDOM(1)SNOBOL4RANDOM(1)NAMEsnobol4random - SNOBOL4 random number functions
SYNOPSIS-INCLUDE 'random.sno'
NUMBER = RANDOM()SRANDOM(NUMBER)SRANDOMDEV()DESCRIPTION
The RANDOM() function uses a non-linear additive feedback random number
generator employing a default table of size 31 long integers to return
successive pseudo-random numbers in the range from 0 to (2**31)-1. The
period of this random number generator is very large, approximately
16*((2**31)-1).
The SRANDOM() function sets its INTEGER argument seed as the seed for a
new sequence of pseudo-random numbers to be returned by RANDOM().
These sequences are repeatable by calling SRANDOM() with the same seed
value. RANDOM() will by default produce a sequence of numbers that can
be duplicated by calling SRANDOM() with 1 as the seed.
The SRANDOMDEV() routine initializes a state array using the random(4)
random number device (if available) which returns good random numbers,
suitable for cryptographic use. Note that this particular seeding pro‐
cedure can generate states which are impossible to reproduce by calling
SRANDOM() with any value, since the succeeding terms in the state buf‐
fer are no longer derived from the LC algorithm applied to a fixed
seed. Data from the random(4) device may be precious, and repeated
calls to SRANDOMDEV() should be avoided. When the random(4) device is
not available, a 32-bit seed will be generated using time, process id,
and an element of the process stack.
SEE ALSOsnobol4(1), random(3), random(4)AUTHOR
Philip L. Budne
SNOBOL 4 Jan 2012 SNOBOL4RANDOM(1)
