From: ao950 AT FreeNet DOT Carleton DOT CA (Paul Derbyshire)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject: Re: a randomize function for DJGPP?
Date: 11 Mar 1997 04:26:38 GMT
Organization: The National Capital FreeNet
Lines: 26
Message-ID: <5g2mtu$6c0@freenet-news.carleton.ca>
References: <5flbpp$m74 AT nr1 DOT ottawa DOT istar DOT net> <331FC0D1 DOT 1A26 AT cs DOT com> <E6oqJs DOT K2n AT boss DOT cs DOT ohiou DOT edu> <5fps67$pc3 AT news DOT ox DOT ac DOT uk> <5g0b8s$snb AT freenet-news DOT carleton DOT ca> <33241CA7 DOT 4E84 AT pobox DOT oleane DOT com>
Reply-To: ao950 AT FreeNet DOT Carleton DOT CA (Paul Derbyshire)
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To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp


Francois Charton (deef AT pobox DOT oleane DOT com) writes:
> Paul Derbyshire wrote:
>> 
>> Ironically, the old Commodore 64 had possibly the best random generator:
>> an ANALOG white noise chip in the sound card, which could be tapped by a
>> program to obtain random numbers. Obviously for uniform randomness of the
>> quality you describe, an analog white noise generator filtered to digital
>> is what's needed. 
>>
> 
> In many scientific applications using random numbers (I think the poster 
> was talking about Monte Carlo integration), there is a double problem : 
> you need randomness, but you also need your calculations to be 
> repeatable. This makes non repeatable generators, like white noise chips, 
> less useful in such cases.

Why? Real life gamblling at Monte Carlo is certainly not dependent on
being repeatable.
Far from it!

--
    .*.  Where feelings are concerned, answers are rarely simple [GeneDeWeese]
 -()  <  When I go to the theater, I always go straight to the "bag and mix"
    `*'  bulk candy section...because variety is the spice of life... [me]
Paul Derbyshire ao950 AT freenet DOT carleton DOT ca, http://chat.carleton.ca/~pderbysh