This section describes the GNU facilities for generating a series of
pseudo-random numbers. The numbers generated are not truly random;
typically, they form a sequence that repeats periodically, with a period
so large that you can ignore it for ordinary purposes. The random
number generator works by remembering a seed value which it uses
to compute the next random number and also to compute a new seed.
Although the generated numbers look unpredictable within one run of a
program, the sequence of numbers is exactly the same from one run
to the next. This is because the initial seed is always the same. This
is convenient when you are debugging a program, but it is unhelpful if
you want the program to behave unpredictably. If you want a different
pseudo-random series each time your program runs, you must specify a
different seed each time. For ordinary purposes, basing the seed on the
current time works well.
You can obtain repeatable sequences of numbers on a particular machine type
by specifying the same initial seed value for the random number
generator. There is no standard meaning for a particular seed value;
the same seed, used in different C libraries or on different CPU types,
will give you different random numbers.
The GNU library supports the standard ISO C random number functions
plus two other sets derived from BSD and SVID. The BSD and ISO C
functions provide identical, somewhat limited functionality. If only a
small number of random bits are required, we recommend you use the
ISO C interface, rand and srand. The SVID functions
provide a more flexible interface, which allows better random number
generator algorithms, provides more random bits (up to 48) per call, and
can provide random floating-point numbers. These functions are required
by the XPG standard and therefore will be present in all modern Unix
systems.
