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> > >> Frandom is the faster version of the well-known /dev/urandom random >> number generator. Not instead of, but rather as a supplement, when >> pseudorandom data is needed at high rate. Few tests so far show that >> frandom is 10-50 times faster than urandom. >> > > Without looking at the code, why should this be done in the kernel? I suppose you're asking why having a /dev/frandom device at all. Why not let everyone write their own little random generator (based upon well-known C functions) whenever random data is needed. There are plenty of handy things in the kernel, that could be done in userspace. /dev/zero is my favourite example, but I'm sure there are other cases where things were put in the kernel simply because people found them handy. Which is a good reason, if you ask me. Besides, it's quite easy to do something wrong with random numbers. By having a good source of random data, I suppose we can spare a lot of people the headache of getting their own user-space application right for the one-off thing they want to do. But it's really a matter of taste. That's why I bring up the subject here. Eli - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/ | ||||||||||||
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