1SNOBOL4RANDOM(3)                CSNOBOL4 Manual               SNOBOL4RANDOM(3)
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NAME

6       snobol4random - SNOBOL4 random number functions
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SYNOPSIS

9           -INCLUDE 'random.sno'
10                   SRANDOM(number)
11                   SRANDOMDEV()
12                   number = RANDOM()
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DESCRIPTION

15       The functions described in this manual page are not cryptographically
16       secure.
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18       The RANDOM() function uses a non-linear additive feedback random number
19       generator employing a default table of size 31 long integers to return
20       successive pseudo-random numbers in the range from 0 to (2**31)-1.  The
21       period of this random number generator is very large, approximately
22       16*((2**31)-1).
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24       SRANDOM()
25           takes its INTEGER argument as the seed for a new sequence of
26           pseudo-random numbers to be returned by RANDOM().  These sequences
27           are repeatable by calling SRANDOM() with the same seed value.
28           RANDOM() will by default produce a sequence of numbers that can be
29           duplicated by calling SRANDOM() with 1 as the seed.
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31       SRANDOMDEV()
32           initializes a state array using the random(4) random number device
33           (if available) which returns good random numbers, suitable for
34           cryptographic use.  Note that this particular seeding procedure can
35           generate states which are impossible to reproduce by calling
36           SRANDOM() with any value, since the succeeding terms in the state
37           buffer are no longer derived from the LC algorithm applied to a
38           fixed seed.  Data from the random(4) device may be precious, and
39           repeated calls to SRANDOMDEV() should be avoided.  When the
40           random(4) device is not available, a 32-bit seed will be generated
41           using time, process id, and an element of the process stack.
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SEE ALSO

44       snobol4(1), random(3), random(4).
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AUTHORS

47       Earl T. Cohen
48       Jacob S. Rosenberg
49       Philip L. Budne
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53CSNOBOL4B 2.3.1                 March 31, 2022                SNOBOL4RANDOM(3)