Path: csiph.com!eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Ben Bacarisse Newsgroups: comp.lang.javascript Subject: Re: x === x Date: Thu, 01 Jun 2017 14:44:51 +0100 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 33 Message-ID: <87vaofvn3g.fsf@bsb.me.uk> References: <2563985.e9J7NaK4W3@PointedEars.de> <42992d96-86e3-4224-b011-5cb32f610a83@googlegroups.com> <1566693.VLH7GnMWUR@PointedEars.de> <87bmq8y14q.fsf@bsb.me.uk> <1917432.Icojqenx9y@PointedEars.de> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Info: mx02.eternal-september.org; posting-host="b8cfcc8b3b6248419b3e2a0831823cf6"; logging-data="29728"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX19ex4sW/Wsxy6XTNLDpSjgvsdb6UHUwtKM=" Cancel-Lock: sha1:1XhWkYeepJQBUjjo+vVcIBk3cMI= sha1:k1hRbIz1haWLif4klOW6f36x7g4= X-BSB-Auth: 1.c0bcad86ff0d7fbfa6b6.20170601144452BST.87vaofvn3g.fsf@bsb.me.uk Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.javascript:33472 Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn writes: > Ben Bacarisse wrote: > >> Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn writes: >>> Stefan Ram wrote: >>>> Dr J R Stockton writes: >>>>>An ordinary computer design provides no source of true randomness, >>>> What is "true randomness"? >>> Uniform distribution of results independent of a start value (seed). >> >> A very simple function can generate numbers with a uniform distribution >> that is independent of any seed. For example, a function producing >> 1, 1, 1... meets that definition. If you want some variation, so does, >> 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3... > > Apparently you missed the important word “random” here. It does not appear in the definition you offered. If it had done (for example if you had offered "uniform distribution of random results independent of a start value") then the definition would have been partly circular -- leaving "random" to be defined. >> I don't know of an uncontroversial and universally agreed-upon definition, >> so I won't try to offer one. > > One thing is clear, though: patterns are the opposite of randomness. Yes. This is why you need more than simply a uniform distribution and independence from any seed. -- Ben.