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From: archer@elysium.corp.sgi.com (Archer Sully)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sgi
Subject: Re: rand in awk
Message-ID: <43482@sgi.sgi.com>
Date: 24 Oct 89 22:06:46 GMT
References: <63*finnd@vax.runit.unit.uninett>
Sender: archer@elysium.corp.sgi.com
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Lines: 26

In article <63*finnd@vax.runit.unit.uninett>, finnd%vax.runit.unit.uninett@NAC.NO (Finn Drablos) writes:
> I try to install an utility under Irix 3.1D, using awk. However, I get
> problems with rand() and srand(). For example
> 
>   $awk '{ print rand() }'
>   awk: syntax error near line 1
>   awk: illegal statement near line 1
>   $awk '{ print rand(2.0) }'
> 
>   2
> 
>   2
> 
> Not very useful, really. Am I doing something wrong, or is this a bug ?
> Is there anything I can do to make it work (except for implementing my
> own random number generator) ?

awk is still the old awk.  Try using 'nawk' instead.  It is the new awk
that is described in 'The AWK programming Language'.


--
Archer Sully (archer@sgi.com)

"life is short, filled with stuff"
		-- Lux Interior