Recommended way to initialize srand?

Question

I need a \'good\' way to initialize the pseudo-random number generator in C++. I\'ve found an article that states:

In order to generate random-like

Answer 1

Suppose you have a function with a signature like:

int foo(char *p);

An excellent source of entropy for a random seed is a hash of the following:

• Full result of clock_gettime (seconds and nanoseconds) without throwing away the low bits - they're the most valuable.
• The value of p, cast to uintptr_t.
• The address of p, cast to uintptr_t.

At least the third, and possibly also the second, derive entropy from the system's ASLR, if available (the initial stack address, and thus current stack address, is somewhat random).

I would also avoid using rand/srand entirely, both for the sake of not touching global state, and so you can have more control over the PRNG that's used. But the above procedure is a good (and fairly portable) way to get some decent entropy without a lot of work, regardless of what PRNG you use.