From: david.brown@hesbynett.no   
      
   On 23/12/2025 15:45, Michael Sanders wrote:   
   > On Tue, 23 Dec 2025 08:25:59 +0100, David Brown wrote:   
   >   
   >> It is not the compilers that are different, it is the C standard   
   >> libraries that are different.  gcc is a compiler, not a library, but you   
   >> are probably using glibc with it by default.  musl is a library, not a   
   >> compiler.  There is no reason to suppose that different C standard   
   >> libraries use the same implementation of rand()and srand(), so no reason   
   >> to suppose they would give the same sequences - though each on their own   
   >> will give a deterministic pseudo-random sequence based on their seeds.   
   >>   
   >> If you swap gcc with clang you will get the same results - it will   
   >> depend on whether you are linking with glibc, musl, or another C library.   
   >   
   > Sure enough & thank you David - I appreciate your explanation.   
   >   
   > I see where my thinking was off now. You're 100% correct   
   > (I'm still learning as you noticed).   
   >   
      
   There are people who have been in this group for decades that still have   
   trouble understanding the distinction between a C compiler, a C standard   
   library, and a C implementation (which combines both).  There are C   
   compilers that have a standard library tightly attached or "built in" in   
   the same product, and others which can work with a number of different C   
   standard libraries.  There are C standard libraries that only work with   
   a single compiler, and others that are much more general - though you   
   can't write a complete C standard library purely in fully portable C.   
   And C compilers can implement standard library functions in the compiler   
   itself (this is typically done for small functions like memcpy, or maths   
   functions - things that can be significantly more efficient when handled   
   inline by the compiler).  There are many nuances involved - but you've   
   found a clear way to show a difference between two common C libraries,   
   so that's a good start.   
      
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