# write functions that print a random number of *s up to 100 to character output

	.text
	# initialize random number generator
	li	$v0,30		# get time
	syscall
	move	$a1,$a0		# low order time bits used as random seed
	li	$v0,40
	li	$a0,1
	syscall			# set random seed for gen ID=1
	jal	printstars
	addi	$a0,$0,'\n'
	li	$v0,11
	syscall			# print newline
	li	$v0,10
	syscall
	
printstars:
	move	$t0,$ra		# stash $ra to $t0 
	li	$a0,100		# maximum random number
	jal	rand		# get random number
	move	$t1,$v0		# save return value
	addi	$a0,$0,'*'	# char to print
	li	$v0,11		# print char
printloop:
	beq	$t1,$0,printexit
	syscall
	addi	$t1,$t1,-1
	j	printloop
printexit:
	jr	$t0		# saved return address
	
rand:
	move	$a1,$a0		# put max into $a1 for syscall
	li	$a0,1		# rand gen ID=1
	li	$v0,42
	syscall
	move	$v0,$a0		# set up return value from rand
	jr	$ra