From: Simon Krahnke <overlord@...>
Date: 2007-10-01T23:05:05+09:00
Subject: Re: a = Dog.new  # a is not a pointer and not a reference?

* SpringFlowers AutumnMoon (2007-09-29) schrieb:

> when we say
>
> a = Dog.new("lulu")
>
> Now a is not really a pointer,

�a� is a variable. A variable is never a pointer.

A variable is always a name for something in some scope.

In C and C++ a variable is a name for a location in memory. Variables
have a type that tells the C Compiler what to do when the variable is
used. [1]

In Ruby a variable is a name for an object. You can call this a
reference but just as well stick to �variable�.

When a variable name is used as an expression, the expression's value is
the object the variable is a name for.

> When we use a.color, it is like a reference in C++ implicitly
> dereference it and use its attributes.

Ruby is not an alternate syntax for C++.

mfg,               simon .... l

[1] I am a human. I don't quite know what a C++ reference is.