From: Logan Capaldo <logancapaldo@...>
Date: 2005-12-10T05:28:23+09:00
Subject: Re: new to Ruby - pls help in translating this


On Dec 9, 2005, at 2:31 PM, Dan Diebolt wrote:

>> variables are more like labels on objects than containers for objects
>
>   There is something very fundamental about what you are saying  
> here but I don't quite understand. Could you elaborate on this with  
> perhaps an example?
>
> 			
> ---------------------------------
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Well basically, all variables in ruby are references (or pointers,  
whatever you want to call them), but they are actually even less  
"clingy" than that.

maybe an example will help

x = "a string"
y = x # this doesn't do something like x.copy nor  is it even  
equalivalent to typing y = "a string"
          # it more like saying
         #   x =
         #             "a string"
         #   y =

y.upcase! #=> "A STRING"
x                #=> "A STRING"

Just think of varibles as a way to refer to a memory address
If x and y "contain" anythjing it is a memory address and they both  
have the same memory.

Basically they are pointers. Except when they aren't. Fixnums for  
instance are stored as values. As are symbols. I think I might have  
over complicated this. Maybe someone else can explain it better.