[R] .Random.seed vs. set.seed

[Prof Brian Ripley]

On Tue, 1 Apr 2003, Erin Hodgess wrote:

> Dear R People:
> 
> What is the difference betwween 
> .Random.seed <<- seed
> 
> vs.
> set.seed
> 
> please?

1) In the first you have to know a suitable value for `seed', and that's
far from easy, whereas in the second you can supply a number in 1:1024.

2) Setting .Random.seed does not reset the state of the Box-Muller
generator if it is in use.

> Version 1.5.1 for Windows

Time to update ....

-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595