reading internet data to generate random numbers.

[Grant Edwards]

On 2005-11-03, Steven D'Aprano <steve at REMOVETHIScyber.com.au> wrote:

>> I've never heard of anybody using the data as source of
>> entropy.  All the entropy gathering I've read about used the
>> timing of network events, not the user-data associated with
>> those events.
>
> Me neither, but the original poster did ask how to read every nth byte
> of "the Internet stream", so I assumed he had something like that in mind.

I agree that would be a pretty bad idea unless you went to some
effort to reduce the bias in the distribution of the value of
data bytes.

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow!  I'd like MY data-base
                                  at               JULIENNED and stir-fried!
                               visi.com