Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!psuvax1!psuvm!cxt105
From: CXT105@psuvm.psu.edu (Christopher Tate)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Random() from with AfterDark (was Re: System Error 389)
Message-ID: <91050.080755CXT105@psuvm.psu.edu>
Date: 19 Feb 91 13:07:55 GMT
References: <1991Feb18.221718.9087@portia.Stanford.EDU>
Organization: Penn State University
Lines: 22

In article <1991Feb18.221718.9087@portia.Stanford.EDU>,
ralphm@portia.Stanford.EDU (Ralph Melton) inquires:

>One last question:  Is it inappropriate for me to call Random from within
>an After Dark module?  I realize that, since I don't have globals, if I
>call Random, I am stepping on the RandSeed global of someone else's
>A5 world.  But RandSeed is supposed to contain a pseudorandom number.
>If I replace it with a different pseudorandom number, will I give any
>program problems?

You might want to put in your own random number seed, and then replace
the original contents of randSeed after calling Random().  If you just
trash the randSeed, it's certainly conceivable that you will interfere
with someone who's running statistical simulations of some sort, and
is relying on having a predictable sequence of numbers generated by
Random().

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Christopher Tate                          |
                                          | Are they purple, and eat people,
Uucp:  {...}!psuvax1!psuvm.bitnet!cxt105  | or do they just eat purple people?
Internet:  cxt105@psuvm.psu.edu           |