yes you can fold in the date, but I don't think uniqueness is
really a requirement.
We are talking about a PIN generator, not a random number
generator.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2001 8:08
AM
Subject: Re: Random Number
Generator
What happens though if you
also retrieve today's Lillian date and do something with that and with time?
there would be uniqueness then wouldn't
there? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Booth
Martin, 802-454-8315 x235 Goddard College Information Services http://www.Goddard.edu ----------------------------------------------------------------
| "alan shore"
<SHOREA@dime.com> Sent
by: owner-midrange-l@midrange.com
08/08/01 08:37 AM Please respond to MIDRANGE-L
|
To:
<MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
cc:
Subject: Re: Random
Number Generator |
Point taken, but a random number generator should
NOT give the same result given the same initial data. You wouldn't believe
what an incredible amount of money has been spent in attempting to create such
a piece of software. This type of logic was first thought of by the British
government decades ago, but was scrapped when they realized how limited it
was.
>>> "Leif Svalgaard" <leif@leif.org> 08/07/01
05:06PM >>> From: alan shore <SHOREA@dime.com>
>
Surely, this cannot be a random number generator, as the same number
will be generated at the same time of day.
as there are only
10000 possible 4-digit PINs, so what? If you assign 30000 PINs a day you
cycle through every number three times already. If you don't do that
many PINs, but say only 100, then the chance that you will the same
number is small.
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