> I suggest to replace the original rand.inc macros by these macros.

Even if the distribution of these functions are indeed even, it should
still be considered that some scenes made using the current macros may
be designed to depend on their exact output, not just the distribution.
(Just like some scenes were made to depend on the old noise_generator
before it was changed in POV-Ray 3.5.) This means that if new macros
with different output are introduced, backward compatible alternative
macros must be provided as well. This however, doesn't necessarily
prevent some users from being confused when their scenes suddenly look
different, if they're not aware of the new macros that have replaced the
old ones.

Now the question is: Is the 9% speed increase worth the hassle with the
backwards compatibility issue? I'm not for or against, I just want to
make sure that the issue is being considered.

Rune
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rune|vision:  http://runevision.com **updated Sep 28**
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