SNOBOL4RANDOM(3)

NAME
snobol4random - SNOBOL4 random number functions

SYNOPSIS
    -INCLUDE 'random.sno'
            SRANDOM(number)
            SRANDOMDEV()
            number = RANDOM()

DESCRIPTION
The functions described in this manual page are not cryptographically secure.

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).

SRANDOM()
    takes its INTEGER argument 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.

SRANDOMDEV()
    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 procedure can generate states which are impossible to reproduce by calling SRANDOM() with any value, since the succeeding terms in the state buffer 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 ALSO
snobol4(1), random(3), random(4).

AUTHORS
Earl T. Cohen
Jacob S. Rosenberg
Philip L. Budne