From: jmclnx@gmail.com.invalid   
      
   Ike Naar  wrote:   
   > On 2025-12-23, John McCue  wrote:   
   >> Michael Sanders  wrote:   
   >>> Is it incorrect to use 0 (zero) to seed srand()?   
   >>>   
   >>> int seed = (argc >= 2 && strlen(argv[1]) == 9)   
   >>>            ? atoi(argv[1])   
   >>>            : (int)(time(NULL) % 900000000 + 100000000);   
   >>>   
   >>> srand(seed);   
   >>>   
   >>   
   >> I like to just read /dev/urandom when I need a random   
   >> number.  Seem easier and more portable across Linux &   
   >> the *BSDs.   
   >>   
   >> int s;   
   >> read(fd, &s, sizeof(int));   
   >   
   > srand takes an unsigned argument.   
   >   
   >   unsigned s;   
   >   read(fd, &s, sizeof s);   
      
   I am not quite sure what you are saying about srand(3).   
      
   If you decide to read /dev/urandom, there is no need to   
   call srand(3), the OS maintains random data itself.  So   
   read(2) will just return the random number of the type   
   you want based upon the call.   
      
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