From: Lloyd Linklater <lloyd@2live4.com>
Date: 2007-09-18T15:04:46+09:00
Subject: Re: The meaning of  a = b  in object oriented languages

SpringFlowers AutumnMoon wrote:
> Is that the case: if a is an object, then b = a is only copying the
> reference?

That and it adds a counter.

a = ["foo", "bar"]
b = a
b[0] = "bite me"
p a, b

a = "different"
p a, b

***

In the first print, we get
["something else", "bar"]
["something else", "bar"]

showing that changing b changes a, as expected.  However, if we change 
a, b is NOT changed as seen in the second print.

"different"
["something else", "bar"]

That means that there is a counter inside that says to separate the two 
or b would have changed with a as a changed with b initially.
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