[Alamo-Girl]

Exactly! We are making the same observation, just using different jargon.

The only variable on each run of the program is the number of attempts required to get the desired pointer (or index number) for the character in a sequential, predetermined, position.

And the odds are merely 1 in 26 for each attempt!

[AndrewC]

Exactly! We are making the same observation, just using different jargon.

Noted.

[scripter]

Exactly! We are making the same observation, just using different jargon.

You are both correct. FWIW, I write programs or scripts daily (hence the screen name), although it's been ~20 years since I've written something in BASIC.

I agree that the program is meaningless.

Not only is the program poorly structured (as even BASIC can can be written somewhat intelligently), the program is not at all random in its purpose - it most definitely has an agenda. What's sad is some folks may actually buy the agenda and not realize the program in no way mimicks what we see in nature. In a very short time I could write a program that would generate this post, and make it look like the post was randomly generated. Just my $.02 in beating a dead horse.