Received: from localhost (pluto.hub.org [200.46.204.4]) by postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D4EA39F9425 for ; Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:20:53 -0400 (AST) Received: from postgresql.org ([200.46.204.71]) by localhost (mx1.hub.org [200.46.204.4]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id 04266-09 for ; Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:20:36 -0400 (AST) X-Greylist: from auto-whitelisted by SQLgrey- Received: from main2.mycybernet.net (main2.mycybernet.net [209.222.63.140]) by postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9F81D9F9424 for ; Thu, 16 Nov 2006 17:20:50 -0400 (AST) Received: from 227-54-222-209.mycybernet.net ([209.222.54.227] helo=phlogiston.dydns.org) by main2.mycybernet.net with esmtp (Exim 4.62) (envelope-from ) id 1Gkoip-0004Te-Jd for pgsql-sql@postgresql.org; Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:24:35 -0500 Received: by phlogiston.dydns.org (Postfix, from userid 1000) id 657794051; Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:20:38 -0500 (EST) Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:20:38 -0500 From: Andrew Sullivan To: pgsql-sql@postgresql.org Subject: Re: Random() Message-ID: <20061116212038.GB16916@phlogiston.dyndns.org> References: <55c095e90611161031h7a1ce42chd9a59a53ba7e7028@mail.gmail.com> <20061116191632.GA21285@a-kretschmer.de> <55c095e90611161254w271e6781h6ee0d09a5be60db1@mail.gmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <55c095e90611161254w271e6781h6ee0d09a5be60db1@mail.gmail.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.9i X-Virus-Scanned: Maia Mailguard 1.0.1 X-Archive-Number: 200611/175 X-Sequence-Number: 26827 On Thu, Nov 16, 2006 at 06:54:42PM -0200, Ezequias Rodrigues da Rocha wrote: > My bigint field has 20,000 numbers and I'd like to make real random (used > like lottery). If you want _real_ random, you have to use a non-computer source for your randomness. The best you get on a computer is pseudo-random. Often it's very good pseudo-random -- most of the time, good enough for most purposes -- but it isn't true randomness of the sort that is delivered by (for example) particle decay. A -- Andrew Sullivan | ajs@crankycanuck.ca The plural of anecdote is not data. --Roger Brinner