How do computers generate random numbers? I mean truly random, not using some engineered entropy that theoretically be predicted.
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Anonymous2008-06-18 15:09
>>9
One of the most important application (if not the most) of randomness is running simulations. If the simulation you're running does something you wish to repeat so as to understand why it did it in the first place, true randomness buys you nothing. You'll want it to go the exact way it went before, and you make sure it does by supplying the random generator with the same seed you did before. Deterministic pseudo-randomness is really the way to go. But I digress.
>>9
/dev/random takes physical data from devices which are supposed to have high entropy. As a result it's kind of slow... but you can probably collect it.
tl;dr I don't know anything about cryptographically sound randomness.
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Anonymous2008-06-18 17:46
>>9
They ask the user to move the mouse around randomly.
Name:
Anonymous2008-06-18 17:53
>>13
Unsafe. The user may decide to move the mouse in a predetermined fashion.
Name:
Anonymous2008-06-18 18:02
They ask the user to type random shit.
I usually just sit on my keyboard while your mother rides me, THAT'S ENTROPY!
Name:
Anonymous2008-06-18 18:26
>>15
Sitting on a keyboard tends to produce long runs of a single character. Not nearly enough entropy to be useful.
>>13,15
Actually, those movements do not actively generate entropy. They merely provide activity to devices that do generate entropy, namely the keyboard and mouse drivers. When I'm prompted for something like that, I just start copying my /boot partition onto an image file on my other harddrives, as that generates sufficient entropy.
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Anonymous2008-06-18 19:05
I wrote a nibbles clone in conio and felt kind of bad about it. :(
Name:
Anonymous2008-06-18 19:14
I port simple open source games to use the desired technologies
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Anonymous2008-06-18 20:00
I broke my toilet :(
The handle snapped off of the arm which pulls the plunger :(
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy