Floyd's Algorithm for Random Subsets

floyd.js

function sample(list, m) {
    var n = list.length;
    if (m > n) return void console &&
        console.log('list length must be > sample');
    var sampleList = [];
    for (var i = n - m; i < n; i++) {
        var item = list[~~(Math.random() * i)];
        if (sampleList.indexOf(item) !== -1)
            sampleList.push(list[i]);
        else
            sampleList.push(item);
    }
    return sampleList;
}

When the arraylist is already given there is a better algorithm of strict O(n) complexity (see below) The Floyd algorithm has O(n^2) worst-case complexity (due to the use of searches/hashmaps etc..)
Actually one can safely assume the arraylist as given always, since the selection eventually must be applied to some existing arraylist, so it is no major assumption to make nor drawback

see also Abacus where this and many other combinatorialalgorithms are given

// http://stackoverflow.com/a/32035986/3591273
function random_pick( a, k, non_destructive )
{
      var picked, backup, i, selected, value, n = a.length;
          k = Math.min( k, n );
          picked = new Array( k ); 
          backup = new Array( k );

       non_destructive = false !== non_destructive;
       // partially shuffle the array, and generate unbiased selection simultaneously
       // this is a variation on fisher-yates-knuth shuffle
       for (i=0; i<k; i++) // O(k) times
       { 
           selected = Math.round( (--n)*Math.random() ); // unbiased sampling n * n-1 * n-2 * .. * n-k+1
           value = a[ selected ];
           a[ selected ] = a[ n ];
           a[ n ] = value;
           backup[ i ] = selected;
           picked[ i ] = value;
       }
       if ( non_destructive )
       {
           // restore partially shuffled input array from backup
           for (i=k-1; i>=0; i--) // O(k) times
           { 
               selected = backup[ i ];
               value = a[ n ];
               a[ n ] = a[ selected ];
               a[ selected ] = value;
               n++;
           }
       }
     return picked;
 }