Message-Id: <2.2.32.19970605163042.006a9444@gate>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Date: Thu, 05 Jun 1997 09:30:42 -0700
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
From: "Alan Wilson" <awilson AT wilshire DOT com>
Subject: Re: Random numbers/George
Precedence: bulk

At 10:19 AM 6/5/97 +0200, you wrote:
>Alan Wilson wrote:
>> 
>> It sounds like to me that DJGPP doesnt have a truly random generator then.
>> "Informal" random numbers are nice but it would be better if we could
>> generate truly random numbers where the frequency of all numbers were the
>> same...
>>
>
>I don't want to get this into a philosophical discussion, but there is no 
>such thing as "true random numbers". In fact, there is not (AFAIK) a good 
>mathematical definition of a random series, and for finite series, such a 
>definition is IMHO impossible (if anyone wants to react to this, please 
>do it by private email).
>
>When we talk of good or bad random number generators, we mean that the 
>series they produce have *on average* properties that ideal random 
>sources (probability laws) have. The more such properties, the better the 
>generator...
>

Got it!!  I understand now.  Thanks for setting me straight.  This
discussion has been very educational...

I mainly wanted to be sure that there is a way to create random numbers in
DJGPP that were acceptible in programs that I plan on creating, games, etc.
From what I understand now, the random() function of DJGPP will more than
suffice.  

Thanks.
Alan Wilson