This function returns a pseudo-random integer. Repeated calls return a
series of pseudo-random integers.
-If @var{limit} is a positive integer, the value is chosen to be
+If @var{limit} is a positive fixnum, the value is chosen to be
nonnegative and less than @var{limit}. Otherwise, the value might be
-any integer representable in Lisp, i.e., an integer between
-@code{most-negative-fixnum} and @code{most-positive-fixnum}
-(@pxref{Integer Basics}).
+any fixnum, i.e., any integer from @code{most-negative-fixnum} through
+@code{most-positive-fixnum} (@pxref{Integer Basics}).
If @var{limit} is @code{t}, it means to choose a new seed as if Emacs
were restarting, typically from the system entropy. On systems
}
DEFUN ("random", Frandom, Srandom, 0, 1, 0,
- doc: /* Return a pseudo-random number.
-All integers representable in Lisp, i.e. between `most-negative-fixnum'
-and `most-positive-fixnum', inclusive, are equally likely.
-
-With positive integer LIMIT, return random number in interval [0,LIMIT).
+ doc: /* Return a pseudo-random integer.
+By default, return a fixnum; all fixnums are equally likely.
+With positive fixnum LIMIT, return random integer in interval [0,LIMIT).
With argument t, set the random number seed from the system's entropy
pool if available, otherwise from less-random volatile data such as the time.
With a string argument, set the seed based on the string's contents.
-Other values of LIMIT are ignored.
See Info node `(elisp)Random Numbers' for more details. */)
(Lisp_Object limit)