Messages in this thread |  | | Date | Wed, 15 May 1996 18:01:45 -0600 (CST) | From | Aaron Ucko <> | Subject | Re: CONFIG_RANDOM option for 1.99.2 |
| |
>What if someone's running in very tight memory (2-4 MB) and for one >reason or another doesn't care about crackers (isn't on the net, or >just doesn't care about security)? The only feasible thing that the >kernel needs good random numbers for is security, and people should >have the option to turn that off if the memory and CPU cycles are too >critical.
Yes, but nonsecurity-related userspace programs might also want good random numbers. Consider a simulation using the Monte Carlo method--pseudorandom numbers might produce misleading results.
-- Aaron Ucko (ucko@vax1.rockhurst.edu; finger for PGP public key) | httyp! "That's right," he said. "We're philosophers. We think, therefore we am." -- Terry Pratchett, _Small Gods_ | Geek Code 3.1 [for explanation, finger hayden@mankato.msus.edu]: GCS/M/S/C d- s: a18 C++(+++)>++++ UL++>++++ P++ L++>+++++ E- W(-) N++(+) o+ K- w--- O M@ V-(--) PS++(+++) PE- Y(+) PGP(+) t(+) !5 X-- R(-) tv-@ b++(+++) DI+ !D-- G++(+++) e->+++++(*) h!>+ r-(--)>+++ y?
|  |