[Numpy-discussion] NEP: Random Number Generator Policy

[Robert Kern]

On Sun, Jun 3, 2018 at 4:35 PM Eric Wieser <wieser.eric+numpy at gmail.com>
wrote:

> You make a bunch of good points refuting reproducible research as an
> argument for not changing the random number streams.
>
> However, there’s a second use-case you don’t address - unit tests. For
> better or worse, downstream, or even our own
> <https://github.com/numpy/numpy/blob/c4813a9/numpy/core/tests/test_multiarray.py#L5093-L5108>,
> unit tests use a seeded random number generator as a shorthand to produce
> some arbirary array, and then hard-code the expected output in their tests.
> Breaking stream compatibility will break these tests.
>
> I don’t think writing tests in this way is particularly good idea, but
> unfortunately they do still exist.
>
> It would be good to address this use case in the NEP, even if the
> conclusion is just “changing the stream will break tests of this form”
>

I do! Search for "unit test" or "StableRandom". :-)

-- 
Robert Kern
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