J.Pearce@ucl-cs.UUCP (03/02/90)
From: J.Pearce@uk.ac.ucl.cs I am relatively new to ST-80, but the Random class seems to be of the multiplicative congruential type (like UNIX rand) that are not the best type of random number generator. Does anyone have a class for a better random number generator , e.g. UNIX random. John R. Pearce. jpearce@uk.ac.ucl.cs Computer Science Department, University College London.
moss@ibis.cs.umass.edu (Eliot Moss) (03/07/90)
Actually, I recommend going back the CACM articles in 1988 and 1989. There were several about random number generators. The one that was *not* the "minimal standard" is probably better. It is based on using two, good, linear congruential generators with periods not having a common factor to get large period. THere was demonstration of its quality and some comparison with other generators, including pictures showing patterns produced by graphing the generators' numbers against time, etc. Perhaps someone more energetic (or with the CACM's handy (I'm at home just now)) can post the complete reference. It was pretty easy to implement in C (or Pascal); should be easy in Smalltalk, too. Eliot -- J. Eliot B. Moss, Assistant Professor Department of Computer and Information Science Lederle Graduate Research Center University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003 (413) 545-4206; Moss@cs.umass.edu