MD5 etc. as a hash function

Question

Let\'s say you are planning to design a hash function which will generate keys between 0-256. Will using first 2 digits of MD5-digest be a great idea for a uniform distribut

Answer 1

You haven't explained how you're going to use the hash, and what you're going to do with the collisions that are inevitable given that you have only 256 output values.

I think even MD5 (which is not cryptographically secure any more) is overkill for the likely applications.

I'd probably go with a CRC (cyclic redundancy check) algorithm that would generate a 16-bit or 32-bit number for you, and would likely give you good enough distribution.