Generating Unique Keys

[Grant Edwards]

In article <mailman.1043853713.17341.python-list at python.org>, Nagy László wrote:

>>Sorry to be off topic, but why especially?  At least on Linux,
>>/dev/random is determined by various hardware factors chosen for the
>>difficulty to guess them (i.e. the float between keyboard controller
>>clock and the CPU clock generator) and then passed through a one way
>>hash function. =20
>
> Isn't it used for initializing only?

No.  Reading /dev/random returns random bits from an entropy
"pool" generated by various HW events.  When the pool runs out,
the read will block until more "randomness" happens -- which
can be rather inconvenient when you're running a simulation or
test that's using lots of random values.

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow!  Finally, Zippy
                                  at               drives his 1958 RAMBLER
                               visi.com            METROPOLITAN into the
                                                   faculty dining room.