System.Random - bugs? or am I just confused?

[Hans Georg Schaathun]

Hi all,

I have been digging into the System.Random module lately.
Initially, I was concerned about the split method, but trying
to understand the code and algorithm, there are a couple of
other issues that bother me.  I hope this is the right forum  
to ask about them ...  

I think at least some of them are bugs, but then, there may be 
some deliberate design choices which I don't see.  If there aren't,
I guess I will propose a patch.  Any opinions?

1.  The range of the Standard Generator.  stdRange gives
a lower bound of 0.  As far as I can see, 0 is an impossible
value.  Should the range not start at 1?

2. randomIvalInteger.  One error has already been noted in the
comment.  Is it not trivial to calculate b based on genRange?
Is there some drawback which has prevented such a change?

3.  randomIvalInteger again.  The drawing of n random numbers,
multiplying the ith one by b^i, before summing them all, would
make sense to me if the n random numbers had range 0..b-1, and
we started the sum at acc=0.  As far as I can see, the pseudo-random
have range 1..b+1 (assuming the standard generator), and the acc
parameter to f starts at 1.  Is this a bug?  Or what am I missing?

4.  A possible error is also indicated by a comment in iLogBase,
where iLogBase b b = 2.  Should the if-condition i < b be changed to
i <= b?  Or is it more tricky?

Thanks a lot in advance,
:-- George