Xref: utzoo sci.crypt:2604 sci.electronics:9485
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!purdue!mentor.cc.purdue.edu!l.cc.purdue.edu!cik
From: cik@l.cc.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)
Newsgroups: sci.crypt,sci.electronics
Subject: Random versus pseudo-random numbers
Message-ID: <1826@l.cc.purdue.edu>
Date: 14 Jan 90 15:51:21 GMT
References: <50497@bbn.COM> <25718@cup.portal.com> <1833@osc.COM> <25855@cup.portal.com>
Followup-To: sci.crypt
Distribution: usa
Organization: Purdue University Statistics Department
Lines: 13

In article <25855@cup.portal.com>, ISW@cup.portal.com (Isaac S Wingfield) writes:
> ...(lots of stuff about random number generators)...
> 
> Wasn't it John von Neumann who said "anyone who thinks they know
> how to build a random number generator doesn't understand the problem"?

This is not only incorrect but misleading.  He said that anyone who even
thinks of using systematically generated numbers for random numbers is in
a state of sin.
-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@l.cc.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet, UUCP)