From: Paul Brannan <pbrannan@...>
Date: 2002-08-01T04:33:59+09:00
Subject: Re: How to Emulate C/C++ Pointer/Reference in Ruby?

On Thu, Aug 01, 2002 at 03:03:47AM +0900, David Alan Black wrote:
> So in Ruby, rather than the infinitely regressing line of pointer
> relationships, you get something more like a circle of references, all
> equidistant from the object and all terminal (in the sense that
> they're at the furthest possible level away from the object).

This is exactly how references work in C++, as well, e.g.:

  #include <iostream>

  void foo(int & a) {
    std::cout << &a << std::endl; // print the address of a
  }

  void bar(int & b) {
    std::cout << &b << std::endl; // print the address of b
    foo(b); // foo gets a reference, not a reference to a reference
  }

  int main()
  {
    int x = 42;
    bar(x);
  }

Should print something like:

  0xbffff184
  0xbffff184

because a and b are both references to the same object.

Pointers, however, are a different story, altogether.

(/me ignores the "Pointers, however, are a different story" echoes from
the "Airplane" fans).

Paul