microsoft / microsoft/STL

`<random>`: Implement size optimization for `mersenne_twister_engine`

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performance vNext
Dominant language
C++
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Description

Boost's Mersenne Twister is half the size of ours because (as I remember hearing long ago) they implemented an optimization that saves space without significantly impacting time.

Interestingly, I observe that libstdc++ and libc++ appear to share this optimization, but only for their mt19937_64:

https://godbolt.org/z/8WKb1nWWW

vNext note: Resolving this issue will require breaking binary compatibility. We won't be able to accept pull requests for this issue until the vNext branch is available. See #169 for more information.

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First steps

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  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
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Research direction

Start by studying the mersenne_twister_engine implementation and the size optimization used by libstdc++ and libc++, using the linked Compiler Explorer example for comparison. Confirm the design needed for this implementation and check the vNext compatibility constraint; done means reducing the engine's storage without significantly impacting performance.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
tooling
Issue type
Refactor
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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