Date   : Sat, 06 Apr 1985 03:40:42 EST
From   : "Paul R. Grupp" <GRUPP@mit-mc.ARPA>
Subject: Random Numbers

David,

  The differerence between random numbers and pseudo random numbers is
that while pseudo random numbers APPEAR to be random, the same sequence
of numbers will be generated each time the pseudo generator is run.
This is of course due to the fact that the same code is being executed
each time the program is run.  A way to prevent this from happining it
to SEED the pseudo generator with some truly random number from outside
the program i.e. a number from the system clock or the number of clock
ticks from a prompt to the reaction time to type something back to the
prompt.  If you need something that is truly random reguardless of seed
even, then you may have to resort to a hardware hack such as the input
from a ADC (analog to digital converter) with it's input comming from
a "white noise generator".  This would be truly random (make sure that
the white noise generator is an analog device and not one of the newer
"digitaly derived" generators).  Hope this helps.

Regards, Paul Grupp  <GRUPP@MIT-MC.ARPA>