Roger Newson <[email protected]> asked what happens if you -set seed- to
a number larger than 2^31-1, the documented maximum value of the seed. He
suspects a bug and he is right.
I have reviewed the code:
1. The value of the seed is set to memory junk; said differently,
a 4-byte area of memory containing the random-number
seed is left uninitialized. You type -set seed <x>-,
<x> > 2^31-1, and it does not matter what number you type,
the value of the seed will be memory junk.
2. Memory junk is as good as any other seed, randomnumberwise.
3. However, memory junk is not reproducible. Type -set seed <x>-
later, specifying the same value for <x> > 2^31-1, and the
4-byte area that contains the seed will be left uninitialized
again. Perhaps, since the last time you set the seed, something
unrelated was rewritten in that area, or perhaps the area still
contains the same value. In the latter case, you will be fooled
into thinking the the -set seed- is reproducible.
We will treat this as a bug. In the future, Stata will issue an error
message when you attempt to set a seed greater than 2^31-1.
-- Bill
[email protected]
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