🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Nov5.205359.29733@cbfsb.cb.att.com>, rizzo@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (anthony.r.rizzo) writes:
|> Some time ago, during a discussion of random number generators,
|> at least one individual mentioned that the RNG in "Numerical Recipes,"
|> perhaps the fortran version, had a bug in it.  Does anyone recall
|> what that bug was and how to correct it?  Does anyone recall
|> which of the various RNGs in "Numerical Recipes" has the bug?
|> Thanks!

I might have been the person, but I didn't say that there was a bug in any of
the basic generators in Numerical Recipes.  I said that most of them were
ghastly, and fail several of the standard tests very badly.  The only one
that is any good is the DES-based one, and I suggest using more efficient
code (such as Eric Young's).  Alternatively, use a reliable traditional
generator, such as Wichmann and Hill's.


Nick Maclaren
University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street,
Cambridge CB2 3QG, England.
Email:  nmm1@cus.cam.ac.uk
Tel.:   +44 223 334761
Fax:    +44 223 334679

In article <1992Nov6.172324.23826@infodev.cam.ac.uk>, nmm1@cus.cam.ac.uk (Nick Maclaren) writes:
|> In article <1992Nov5.205359.29733@cbfsb.cb.att.com>, rizzo@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (anthony.r.rizzo) writes:
|> |> Some time ago, during a discussion of random number generators,
|> |> at least one individual mentioned that the RNG in "Numerical Recipes,"
|> |> perhaps the fortran version, had a bug in it.  Does anyone recall
|> |> what that bug was and how to correct it?  Does anyone recall
|> |> which of the various RNGs in "Numerical Recipes" has the bug?
|> |> Thanks!
|> 
|> I might have been the person, but I didn't say that there was a bug in any of
|> the basic generators in Numerical Recipes.  I said that most of them were
|> ghastly, and fail several of the standard tests very badly.  The only one
|> that is any good is the DES-based one, and I suggest using more efficient
|> code (such as Eric Young's).  Alternatively, use a reliable traditional
|> generator, such as Wichmann and Hill's.
|> 
|> 
|> Nick Maclaren
|> University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory,
|> New Museums Site, Pembroke Street,
|> Cambridge CB2 3QG, England.
|> Email:  nmm1@cus.cam.ac.uk
|> Tel.:   +44 223 334761
|> Fax:    +44 223 334679

The NR authors have issued improved RNGs in the 2nd edition of their book.
The same algorithms are discussed in their column in the Sep/Oct issue of
"Computers in Physics".

------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Donald Frederick       |      Office of Academic Computing
        frederik@uci.edu       |      University of California, Irvine
        frederik@UCI.BITNET    |      Irvine, CA  92717
        (714) 725-3200         |      FAX (714) 725-2069
-----------------------------------------------------------------------