[GRASS-dev] r.mapcalc addition

[Joel Pitt]

On 10/24/06, Glynn Clements <glynn at gclements.plus.com> wrote:
> I consider this to be the wrong approach. At a minimum, setting the
> seed should be decoupled from the generation of random numbers;
> there's no reason to have what is essentially another copy of
> f_rand().
>
> Also, it's debatable whether an r.mapcalc function is the correct
> mechanism for setting an operating parameter. An environment variable
> might be more suitable.
>
> Finally, even if f_erand() was the correct interface, having it call
> f_rand() once the seed has been set is preferable to including a clone
> of f_rand() in the body of f_erand().

Okay, that seems reasonable. I went the way I did because as far as I'm aware
there was no existing system in mapcalc for options e.g. -seed=2342
and at the time I altered it I was still getting to grips with GRASS.
It is probably for the same reason, that I didn't consider environment
variables too.

If I alter f_rand() to check an environment variable (GRASS_SEED or
something similar), would that be suitable for inclusion?

-- 
-Joel

"Wish not to seem, but to be, the best."
                -- Aeschylus