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From: magi%uwocsd.uwo.ca@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu (David Wiseman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: SunOS 4.0 drand48(3) man page bug
Message-ID: <8901261651.AA10048@no1sun.uwocsd.uwo.ca>
Date: 3 Feb 89 07:00:20 GMT
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Approved: Sun-Spots@rice.edu
Original-Date: Thu, 26 Jan 89 11:51:39 EST
X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 7, Issue 136, message 3 of 11

Machine Type:   All machines, SunOS 4.0
Organization:   The University of Western Ontario
                Department of Computer Science
                London Ontario Canada N6A 5B7

Description:
        The drand48(3) man page is badly confused. As witness: read the
        following paragraph extracted from the man page.

             Functions drand48, seed48, and lcong48() are  initialization
             entry  points,  one of which should be invoked before either
             drand48, drand48, or drand48() is called.  (Although  it  is
             not   recommended  practice,  constant  default  initializer
             values will be supplied automatically if  drand48,  drand48,
             or  drand48() is called without a prior call to an initiali-
             zation  entry  point.)  Functions  drand48,   drand48,   and
             drand48() do not require an initialization entry point to be
             called first.

        You will note that drand48 appears rather often. In the DESCRIPTION
        section of this man page, each reference to one of [delnmjs]rand48()
        has been rendered drand48. Since the routines are NOT identical, this
        can make it difficult for users to decide what is true about the
        routines.

        It should also be noted that this bug appears in both the online
        documentation and in the hardcopy manuals.

Repeat-By:
        man 3 drand48

Fix:
        Merge it with the 3.5 man page. A quick scan of the 3.5 man page
        doesn't show any glaring changes. The 4.0 man page appears to have been
        "fixed" up so that it is more easily read. Unfortunately, they managed
        to "fix" it too well.

--
        David Wiseman, Network Manager                  magi@uwocsd.uwo.ca
        Department of Computer Science                  magi@uwovax.BITNET
        The University of Western Ontario       watmath!julian!uwocsd!magi
        London Ontario Canada N6A 5B7