Using mouse movement to make a "randomizer"?

[FilipeEstima]

I have zero experience with capturing mouse movements with QB64. I'm thinking about a way to insert some random elements in an array and since computers can't generate true random numbers, I figured maybe I could use input made by mouse movements to help. What are the instructions I need to use for that?

[bplus]

Code: QB64: [Select]

1. _TITLE "Mouse x, y is column, row for a character in screen 0"
2. DO
3.     WHILE _MOUSEINPUT: WEND '             poll mouse
4.     mx = _MOUSEX: my = _MOUSEY '          just get locations of mouse
5.     LOCATE 1, 1: PRINT SPACE$(30) '       clear last location
6.     LOCATE 1, 1: PRINT "Mouse:"; mx; my ' print current location
7.     _LIMIT 60 '                           save CPU fan
8. LOOP
9.  
10.  
11.  

I look forward to seeing mouse movements converted to random numbers, very interesting!

[FilipeEstima]

Thanks bplus, I will give a try!

[_vince]

Here's an idea:

Code: QB64: [Select]

1. _TITLE "Mouse x, y is column, row for a character in screen 0"
2.  
3. sum = 0
4. DO
5.     WHILE _MOUSEINPUT: WEND '             poll mouse
6.     mx = _MOUSEX: my = _MOUSEY '          just get locations of mouse
7.     LOCATE 1, 1: PRINT SPACE$(30) '       clear last location
8.     LOCATE 1, 1: PRINT "Mouse:"; mx; my ' print current location
9.  
10.  
11.         if mx<>omx or my<>omy then
12.                 sum = sum + mx*my
13.                 randomize sum
14.                 ? rnd*1000
15.  
16.                 omx = mx
17.                 omy = my
18.         end if
19.  
20.     _LIMIT 60 '                           save CPU fan
21. LOOP
22.  

When you start the program with the same mouse position every time, the number will be the same.  But as you move the mouse around over a long run time you should get less predictable results. Can't comment on stats encryption or 'entropy' whatever, just an idea.

[SMcNeill]

Why not a RANDOMIZE (TIMER * (1 + _MOUSEX) * (1 + _MOUSEY))?  I’d imagine that’d be a little difficult to ever predict exactly what seed might be used to generate your seed number.

(And note the +1 to both mousex and mousey...  This is to prevent us multiplying by 0, giving skewed, multiply repetitive results.)