Interesting stuff. Thank you Saptarshi
On Sat, May 2, 2009 at 7:21 PM, Dirk Eddelbuettel <e...@debian.org> wrote: > > On 2 May 2009 at 18:53, Saptarshi Guha wrote: > | Hello, > | In ?set.seed I notice that a seed is created from the system time. > | Thus if two machines were (hypothetically) running for the same time > | and R was started simultaneously on both, the would have the same > | seeds (correct?). > | > | I assume reading from /dev/random would be different for both of these > | machines, so my question is why not use an integer read from > | /dev/random to create the seed? > > Some folks do. But do read the fine print about entropy etc. > > An alternnative is provided by the random package on CRAN (slightly > re-indented below). > > Dirk > > > R> library(help=random) > > Information on package 'random' > > Description: > > Package: random > Version: 0.2.0 > Date: $Date: 2009-01-03 11:45:17 -0600 (Sat, 03 Jan 2009) $ > Author: Dirk Eddelbuettel <e...@debian.org> > Maintainer: Dirk Eddelbuettel <e...@debian.org> > Title: True random numbers using random.org > Description: This package provides an interface to the true random number > service provided by the random.org website created by Mads > Haahr. The random.org web service samples atmospheric noise > via radio tuned to an unused broadcasting frequency together > with a skew correction algorithm due to John von Neumann. > More background is available in the included vignette based on > an essay by Mads Haahr. In its current form, the package > offers functions to retrieve random integers, randomized > sequences and random strings. > Depends: R (>= 2.8.0) > License: GPL Version 2 > URL: http://www.random.org > Built: R 2.8.1; ; 2009-01-03 11:46:25; unix > > Index: > > random True random numbers from random.org > > Further information is available in the following vignettes in directory > '/usr/local/lib/R/site-library/random/doc': > > random-essay: random.org: Introduction to Randomness and Random Numbers > (source, pdf) > random-intro: random: An R package for true random numbers (source, pdf) > > R> > > > | Would it be a portability issue? > | I must admit I have very little idea about RNGs, so my question is > | possibly very naive. > | > | Thank you > | Saptarshi > | > | ______________________________________________ > | R-devel@r-project.org mailing list > | https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel > > -- > Three out of two people have difficulties with fractions. > ______________________________________________ R-devel@r-project.org mailing list https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel
