API design

[make-github-pseudonymous-again]

Should at least implement a Mersenne Twister (see #5).

[make-github-pseudonymous-again]

Implement a Lehmer random number generator (see #6).

[make-github-pseudonymous-again]

Possible API: const {randint, randfloat} = prng(seed, options); where seed and options are optional.

[make-github-pseudonymous-again]

Other suggestion for API:

• A PRNG is a generator initialized with a seed and options that yields signed 32 bit integers.
• Then one can have functions nextFloat(prng), nextInt32(prng), nextUint32(prng), ...

PS: With a generator the PRNG state cannot be inspected and that is annoying.

[make-github-pseudonymous-again]

• For smaller numbers implement generator adapters: bits, bytes, int16Gen, uint16Gen, ...
• Maybe also for 32 and 64 bits numbers?
• Add function to fill an ArrayBuffer? AndTypeArrays?

[make-github-pseudonymous-again]

Another idea for a purely functional API:

const prng = xoroshiro128plus(options); // OR splitmix64()
const seed = [1, 2, 3, 4];
let state = getState(prng, seed);
let r = 0;
[state, r] = nextFloat(prng, state);
const buffer = new ArrayBuffer(100);
state = fill(prng, state, buffer);
const array = new Float32Array(1000);
state = fill(prng, state, array);

[make-github-pseudonymous-again]

It is not a good idea to have these generic methods for generating small random numbers. For instance, we should only use the most significant bit in xoroshiro128plus when we generate coin flips.

[make-github-pseudonymous-again]

Idea for a generator API:

• const bytes = generate(genByte, iterate(prng, state)); // Build something with the high order bits.
• const bytes = generate_low_quality(genByte, iterate(prng, state)); // Try to use all the bits.