#
# Patch name: sysrandom
# Patch version: 1
# Author's name: Jason Young
# Author's email: doogie@forbidden-donut.anet-stl.com
# Version of PennMUSH: 1.6.10p4
# Date patch made: May 1, 1997
# Author is willing to support (yes/no): no
# Patch format: context diff
#
#
# This is a contributed PennMUSH patch. Its use is subject to the
# same restrictions found in PennMUSH's hdrs/copyrite.h file.
#
# No warranty is given for this patch. It is not necessarily going
# to work on your system, with any version of PennMUSH other than
# the one above, etc.
#
# If the author given above was willing to support the patch, you
# should write to the author if you have any questions or problems. Do
# *NOT* send email messages to Javelin or any PennMUSH mailing list about
# this patch!
#
# Below this line is the author's description of the patch,
# followed by the patch itself. If the patch is in context diff
# format, you'll probably apply it by typing: patch < patchfile
# in your top-level MUSH directory, unless instructed otherwise
# below.
#

Replaces the fancy random routine in getrandom() with a simple
call to the system's random() function. This avoids a bizarre
loop problem that Doogie has experienced. - Javelin

*** utils.c	Mon Dec 16 10:51:13 1996
--- utils.c.doogie	Wed Apr 30 23:03:45 1997
***************
*** 264,286 ****
  getrandom(x)
      int x;
  {
!   /* In order to be perfectly anal about not introducing any further sources
!    * of statistical bias, we're going to call random() until we get a number
!    * less than the greatest representable multiple of x. We'll then return
!    * n mod x.
!    */
    long n;
    if (x <= 0)
      return -1;
!   do {
!     n = random();
!   } while (LONG_MAX - n < x);
!   /* N.B. This loop happens in randomized constant time, and pretty damn
!    * fast randomized constant time too, since P(LONG_MAX - n < x) < 0.5
!    * for any x, so for any X, the average number of times we should
!    * have to call random() is less than 2.
!    */
!   return (n % x);
  }
  
  
--- 264,276 ----
  getrandom(x)
      int x;
  {
!   /* Brutally butchered because random() is Random Enough For Me. */
! 
    long n;
    if (x <= 0)
      return -1;
! 
!   return (random() % x);
  }