[en] A survey is given of formulae for the calculation of independent fission product yields. An algorithm is presented based on the classical method using the Gaussian distribution. Corrections allowing to take into account even-odd nucleon pairing effects are described. A critical approach to the classical theory serves as a starting point for the proposal of a new algorithm for computing the independent fission product yield distribution based on the discrete (binomial) distribution. The errors caused by neglecting the even-odd effects range from 20 to 30% in fractional independent yields if computed using the classical method. (J.B.)