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From: "Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de>
Subject: Re: How do I write directly to a memory address?
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
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Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2011 20:29:56 +0100
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Date: 2011-02-07T20:29:54+01:00
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On Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:10:12 +0100, Georg Bauhaus wrote:

> On 07.02.11 16:21, Dmitry A. Kazakov wrote:
> 
>>> It means that Ada function Ada.Numerics.Discrete_Random.Random
>>> only works because it violates its "contract".  The parameter (a
>>> generator object) is passed "in", but is modified. Its mutation
>>> is one effect of calling function Random.
>> 
>> Wrong. You might have an implementation of Random backed by the hardware in
>> which case Random would have no internal state whatsoever.
> 
> An implementation does not specify the language. By the language,
> Random relies on the fact that whenever it is finished, it will
> deliver the "next" value ("from its generator").  The state of a
> Generator can be saved and restored, so the notion of its state
> is meaningful in the abstract.

That is specific to the procedure Reset, which is not essential for random
number generation.

> Since we are discussion the effects of subprogram specs on programmer
> intuition, Random's parameter Gen being of mode "in" is at odds with
> the usual meaning of "in".

Not at all. It is Reset, which probably is. Random is perfectly OK.

-- 
Regards,
Dmitry A. Kazakov
http://www.dmitry-kazakov.de