PRNG terminology

Jim Gillogly (jim@acm.org)
Sat, 06 Feb 1999 12:07:26 -0800

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David R. Conrad <drc@adni.net> wrote:
> Jim used CSPRNG to mean "Cryptographically Strong PRNG".
> bram used CSPRNG to mean "Continually Seeded PRNG".
...
> AC2 pre-fifth-printing, p. 78:
> "cryptographically secure pseudo-random-number generator"
...
> I didn't find the acronym, or any acronym, used for this ...

I tried an AltaVista search, and turned up an erratum for
AC1 at Counterpane. Checking my copy (I keep my AC2 at work)
on page 356 sec 15.2 we see:

cryptographically secure pseudo-random sequence generators
   (CSPRSGs)

The acronym CSPRSG is used again on the next page. However,
on page 363 we get:

...using a one-dimensional cellular automaton, such as a CSPRNG.

The erratum changes this to "...automaton as a CSPRNG.

The other distinct relevant AltaVista catch is from Francis
Litterio's http://world.std.com/~franl/crypto/one-time-pad.html
which says:
... usually generated by a cryptographically strong
pseudo-random number generator (CSPRNG).

The "Page info" for Littero's HTML dates it to Jun 1997.

In any case, the "continuously seeded PRNG" concept is also
very important, and we should have a consistent and distinct
term for it.

-- 
	Jim Gillogly
	Hevensday, 16 Solmath S.R. 1999, 19:50
	12.19.5.16.11, 5 Chuen 4 Pax, Seventh Lord of Night

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