docs: Move the grand SECTION

Move it to a separate page so the difference between `g_rand_*()` and
`g_random_*()` can be explained.

Signed-off-by: Philip Withnall <pwithnall@gnome.org>

Helps: #3037
This commit is contained in:
Philip Withnall
2023-11-15 16:26:46 +00:00
parent 8179688c07
commit 43588fcdd9
4 changed files with 63 additions and 51 deletions

View File

@@ -62,57 +62,6 @@
#include <process.h> /* For getpid() */
#endif
/**
* SECTION:random_numbers
* @title: Random Numbers
* @short_description: pseudo-random number generator
*
* The following functions allow you to use a portable, fast and good
* pseudo-random number generator (PRNG).
*
* Do not use this API for cryptographic purposes such as key
* generation, nonces, salts or one-time pads.
*
* This PRNG is suitable for non-cryptographic use such as in games
* (shuffling a card deck, generating levels), generating data for
* a test suite, etc. If you need random data for cryptographic
* purposes, it is recommended to use platform-specific APIs such
* as `/dev/random` on UNIX, or CryptGenRandom() on Windows.
*
* GRand uses the Mersenne Twister PRNG, which was originally
* developed by Makoto Matsumoto and Takuji Nishimura. Further
* information can be found at
* [this page](http://www.math.sci.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/~m-mat/MT/emt.html).
*
* If you just need a random number, you simply call the g_random_*
* functions, which will create a globally used #GRand and use the
* according g_rand_* functions internally. Whenever you need a
* stream of reproducible random numbers, you better create a
* #GRand yourself and use the g_rand_* functions directly, which
* will also be slightly faster. Initializing a #GRand with a
* certain seed will produce exactly the same series of random
* numbers on all platforms. This can thus be used as a seed for
* e.g. games.
*
* The g_rand*_range functions will return high quality equally
* distributed random numbers, whereas for example the
* `(g_random_int()%max)` approach often
* doesn't yield equally distributed numbers.
*
* GLib changed the seeding algorithm for the pseudo-random number
* generator Mersenne Twister, as used by #GRand. This was necessary,
* because some seeds would yield very bad pseudo-random streams.
* Also the pseudo-random integers generated by g_rand*_int_range()
* will have a slightly better equal distribution with the new
* version of GLib.
*
* The original seeding and generation algorithms, as found in
* GLib 2.0.x, can be used instead of the new ones by setting the
* environment variable `G_RANDOM_VERSION` to the value of '2.0'.
* Use the GLib-2.0 algorithms only if you have sequences of numbers
* generated with Glib-2.0 that you need to reproduce exactly.
*/
/**
* GRand:
*