_PyOS_URandom documentation

[tiran]

BPO	15213
Nosy	@loewis, @pitrou, @vstinner, @tiran
Files	urandom_doc.patch

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = <Date 2013-10-06.16:47:51.820>
created_at = <Date 2012-06-28.00:57:03.243>
labels = ['docs']
title = '_PyOS_URandom documentation'
updated_at = <Date 2013-10-06.16:56:22.028>
user = 'https://github.com/tiran'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2013-10-06.16:56:22.028>
actor = 'python-dev'
assignee = 'docs@python'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2013-10-06.16:47:51.820>
closer = 'python-dev'
components = ['Documentation']
creation = <Date 2012-06-28.00:57:03.243>
creator = 'christian.heimes'
dependencies = []
files = ['26650']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 15213
keywords = ['patch']
message_count = 7.0
messages = ['164218', '164222', '167094', '167118', '167156', '199097', '199099']
nosy_count = 6.0
nosy_names = ['loewis', 'pitrou', 'vstinner', 'christian.heimes', 'docs@python', 'python-dev']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'low'
resolution = 'fixed'
stage = 'resolved'
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = None
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue15213'
versions = ['Python 3.3']

[tiran]

The comment for Python/random.c:_PyOS_URandom() states

Fill buffer with size pseudo-random bytes, not suitable for cryptographic use, from the operating random number generator (RNG).

which is not correct as all paths use a RNG that is suitable for most cryptographic purposes except long living private keys for asymmetric encryption.

Also the function isn't documented although it's an official API function and plays a vital role on the new hash randomization.

[loewis]

It's not an official API, as the leading underscore specifies. Changing the comment sounds fine to me.

[vstinner]

So can we close this issue, or should we start to document private functions?

[pitrou]

The comment needs to be fixed before the issue is closed.

[vstinner]

The comment needs to be fixed before the issue is closed.

Ah yes, here is a patch updating the comment of _PyOS_URandom() and
the doc of the os module.

[python-dev]

New changeset 3e5078c3784e by Georg Brandl in branch '2.7':
Closes bpo-15213: update comment for _PyOS_URandom
http://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/3e5078c3784e

[python-dev]

New changeset 176bb5a98463 by Georg Brandl in branch '3.3':
Closes bpo-15213: update comment for _PyOS_URandom
http://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/176bb5a98463