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From: karn@faline.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.math,sci.physics,sci.crypt,sci.math.stat
Subject: Re: Do you use RANDOM NUMBERS?
Message-ID: <444@faline.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 25-Mar-87 17:26:45 EST
Article-I.D.: faline.444
Posted: Wed Mar 25 17:26:45 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Mar-87 01:34:42 EST
References: <5712@reed.UUCP> <464@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Inc
Lines: 18
Keywords: Random numbers, leprechauns
Xref: utgpu sci.math:769 sci.physics:965 sci.crypt:258 sci.math.stat:84
Summary: If you must use algorithms, use DES

My own feeling is that if you MUST use a deterministic algorithm to
generate random numbers, then use the Data Encryption Standard. Pick a
random number for use as a key (use a pair of dice as I previously
described) and encrypt an incrementing 64-bit integer.  From everything
I've read, most of the existing "simple" methods for generating random
numbers have some horrible properties.

The excellent book Numerical Recipies also recommends DES as a random
number generator, and gives listings in Fortran and Pascal. The main
problem, of course, is that software DES is slow but with hardware chips
this problem goes away. The Sun-3 Workstation has space for an AMD 9518
chip, although it doesn't seem to come as standard equipment.  On the
other hand, even software DES may not be that bad, depending on how many
random numbers you need and what else you have to do with each one once
you get it.  A stock PC/AT running my DES (soon to appear on net.sources)
can do about 5400 encryptions (each yielding 64 random bits) per minute.

Phil