xref: /minix/lib/libc/stdlib/rand.3 (revision ebfedea0)
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34.\"     from: @(#)rand.3	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/4/93
35.\"
36.Dd June 4, 1993
37.Dt RAND 3
38.Os
39.Sh NAME
40.Nm rand ,
41.Nm srand ,
42.Nm rand_r
43.Nd bad random number generator
44.Sh LIBRARY
45.Lb libc
46.Sh SYNOPSIS
47.In stdlib.h
48.Ft void
49.Fn srand "unsigned int seed"
50.Ft int
51.Fn rand void
52.Ft int
53.Fn rand_r "unsigned int *seed"
54.Sh DESCRIPTION
55.Bf -symbolic
56These interfaces are obsoleted by
57.Xr random 3 .
58.Ef
59.Pp
60The
61.Fn rand
62function computes a sequence of pseudo-random integers in the range
63of 0 to
64.Dv RAND_MAX
65(as defined by the header file
66.In stdlib.h ) .
67.Pp
68The
69.Fn srand
70function sets its argument as the seed for a new sequence of
71pseudo-random numbers to be returned by
72.Fn rand .
73These sequences are repeatable by calling
74.Fn srand
75with the same seed value.
76.Pp
77If no seed value is provided, the
78.Fn rand
79function is automatically seeded with a value of 1.
80.Pp
81The
82.Fn rand_r
83function is a reentrant interface to
84.Fn rand ;
85the seed has to be supplied and is maintained by the caller.
86.Sh SEE ALSO
87.Xr random 3 ,
88.Xr rnd 4
89.Sh STANDARDS
90The
91.Fn rand
92and
93.Fn srand
94functions
95conform to
96.St -ansiC .
97The
98.Fn rand_r
99function conforms to
100.St -p1003.1c-95 .
101