Subject: Random number generation, and random seeds.
From: Stavros Macrakis
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2004 00:53:52 -0400
> I would like to generate pseudo-random numbers in maxima, from a definite seed.
The Maxima Random command uses the Common Lisp random function, which
has no way to set the seed to a definite value. It does provide for a
random state object which is printable and readable (thus allowing
reproducible random sequences), but GCL is not compliant to this
requirement: its random state objects are not readable. So in
Maxima/GCL, though it is possible to restart a random sequence in the
same place within a run, it isn't possible to restart it in the same
place in two distinct runs.
See discussion of the CL situation in
http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/Groups/AI/html/cltl/clm/node133.html.
-s