Bug in random number generator

[utzoo!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhuxt!mhuxa!mhb5b!smb]

As Knuth points out (Art of Computer Programming, Vol. 2 -- Seminumerical
Algorithms) the low-order bits of *any* linear congruential random number
generator are not particularly random.  The proper way to view the output
is as a fraction between 0 and 1.  Thus, to get a random bit, one should
never take rand()%2; rather, one should use rand() > (MAXINT/2) (or some
such).

Of course, none of this means that rand() is a good random number generator --
it's not.


		--Steve