From: Ross Bamford <rosco@...>
Date: 2005-12-31T20:07:29+09:00
Subject: Symbols/references (was: What is the difference between :foo and "foo" ?)

On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 13:05:48 -0000, Malte Milatz <malte__@gmx-topmail.de>  
wrote:

> dblack:
>> Actually, s = :sym doesn't produce a reference to :sym;
>> rather, s has the actual/immediate value :sym. Anyway, the main  
>> (obscured)
>> point was that symbols are not references.
>
> My understanding of things so far was that :sym and 3 are immediate  
> values,
> and after writing
>   a, b = :sym, 3
> a is a reference to :sym and b is a reference to 3.
>
> Have I been wrong all the time?
>

I wonder that too. What about:

   a, b = :sym, :sym

I guess a and b hold separate references to the same object, much as if I  
did

   a, b = 4, 4

That was the basis for my mentioning literal fixnums earlier in the ':foo  
and "foo"' thread, but now I wonder if I'm in fact wrong (again ;)).

Basically I suppose I'm confused about assignment by value or reference. I  
though Ruby was pass by reference, with references passed by value, no  
matter what?

-- 
Ross Bamford - rosco@roscopeco.remove.co.uk