Non-random numbers (SIMH PDP-8)? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

10 Jan 2006

I don't know about the OS8 PDP-8 BASIC, but on the RSTS/E PDP-11 Basic-Plus, the same
sequence of random numbers would always be returned unless you used the RANDOMIZE
statement, which changes the random number seed.

If your PDP-8 OS8 BASIC supports it, add a RANDOMIZE statement and you should then get a
different series of random numbers each time.

Ashley

-----Original Message-----
...
 From: charlesmorris at direcway.com
Sent: Jan 10, 2006 9:24 AM
To: cctalk at classiccmp.org
Subject: Non-random numbers (SIMH PDP-8)?

I was playing blackjack (BASIC program) on SIMH with my OS/8 RL02 image. I noticed that
every time I played the game the cards drawn were identical, both by the dealer and
myself! A loop to print RND(0) ten times always shows the same ten numbers... doesn't
sound very random to me :)

Is this an artifact of SIMH, or BASIC? (Will it go away when I run the program on the real
8/A)?

thanks
Charles