Talk:Random number generator (device): Difference between revisions
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:I would say yes, if there is some hardware involved, so that the random numbers are not 100% "pseudo". The stress should be on random numbers. Just showing how to read from an arbitrary device is perhaps not very interesting. --[[User:Abu|Abu]] 14:25, 11 January 2011 (UTC) |
:I would say yes, if there is some hardware involved, so that the random numbers are not 100% "pseudo". The stress should be on random numbers. Just showing how to read from an arbitrary device is perhaps not very interesting. --[[User:Abu|Abu]] 14:25, 11 January 2011 (UTC) |
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:: To be certain, the task's fundamental drive is to obtain numbers which are ''not'' deterministically-generated, even with an unknown seed? --[[User:Short Circuit|Michael Mol]] 14:44, 11 January 2011 (UTC) |
:: To be certain, the task's fundamental drive is to obtain numbers which are ''not'' deterministically-generated, even with an unknown seed? --[[User:Short Circuit|Michael Mol]] 14:44, 11 January 2011 (UTC) |
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::: Er. I was unclear. Clarification handy, though: [http://irclog.perlgeek.de/rosettacode/2011-01-11#i_3175701 http://irclog.perlgeek.de/rosettacode/2011-01-11#i_3175701] --[[User:Short Circuit|Michael Mol]] 15:21, 11 January 2011 (UTC) |
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Revision as of 15:21, 11 January 2011
Primer notes
On Linux, reading from /dev/urandom pulls from the system entropy pool (which may contributed to by HRNGs, among other sources), but provides psuedorandom numbers if that entropy pool dries up. reading from /dev/random, on the other hand, pulls from the same entropy pool, but blocks whenever the entropy pool dries up. --Michael Mol 14:03, 11 January 2011 (UTC)
Libraries and features
Is it within the scope of this task to use libraries and language features which provide random numbers derived from both hardware and software sources, or is the intent here to show a more low-level access to the underlying operating system itself? --Michael Mol 14:03, 11 January 2011 (UTC)
- I would say yes, if there is some hardware involved, so that the random numbers are not 100% "pseudo". The stress should be on random numbers. Just showing how to read from an arbitrary device is perhaps not very interesting. --Abu 14:25, 11 January 2011 (UTC)
- To be certain, the task's fundamental drive is to obtain numbers which are not deterministically-generated, even with an unknown seed? --Michael Mol 14:44, 11 January 2011 (UTC)
- Er. I was unclear. Clarification handy, though: http://irclog.perlgeek.de/rosettacode/2011-01-11#i_3175701 --Michael Mol 15:21, 11 January 2011 (UTC)
- To be certain, the task's fundamental drive is to obtain numbers which are not deterministically-generated, even with an unknown seed? --Michael Mol 14:44, 11 January 2011 (UTC)