Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!apple!spud
From: spud@Apple.COM (Dave "Spud" Kalin)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Random number generator - Think Pascal - help
Keywords: think pascal random number generator
Message-ID: <53569@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 3 Jun 91 04:44:10 GMT
References: <1991May24.201417.1423@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA
Lines: 29

In article <1991May24.201417.1423@ccu.umanitoba.ca> burchil@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Charles Andrew Burchill) writes:
>
>Would someone send me an example of a random number generator in
>Think Pascal.  Using the random function always returns the same
>number, I would like to know how to properly set the rand(seed)
>using the time.
>
 
I was just pondering this question last week, so here's what I found out:
the _Random call apparently does not get seeded from the RndSeed low-memory
global, but from the grafport global RandSeed. Whenever you call InitGraf,
the global is reset to 1, hence your repeating random numbers. 

A fix to this problem is as easy as this: 

  randseed := tickcount;

every time you try a new random sample..  Hope this helps!


-- 
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Dave "Spud" Kalin
Apple Computer, Inc.

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