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From: mcdonald@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Random Numbers ...
Message-ID: <225800009@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 26 Feb 88 14:07:00 GMT
References: <7097@sol.ARPA>
Lines: 11
Nf-ID: #R:sol.ARPA:7097:uxe.cso.uiuc.edu:225800009:000:587
Nf-From: uxe.cso.uiuc.edu!mcdonald    Feb 26 08:07:00 1988


Has anyone out there considered how to write a random number generator in
which the output is truly random? In my tests it seems that the low-order
bits have a very short repetition period. I've considered using two 
ordinary generators giving 32-bit periods and patching together the high
order words. Is this better?
    When I really needed a REAL random number, what I actually did was
to read the output of a analog-to-digital converter connected to a noise
source and XOR that with my ordinary generator. This only works if your
computer has an adc, unfortunately.

Doug McDonald