On Saturday, September 12, 2015 at 10:02:40 PM UTC+5:30, Steven D'Aprano wrote: > On Sat, 12 Sep 2015 02:42 pm, Random832 wrote: > > > Anyway, maybe we do need a term to distinguish Python/C#/Java pointers > > from C/C++ pointers - maybe call it a "non-arithmetic" pointer, since > > the key thing about it is you can't do pointer arithmetic on them to get > > the object "next to" the one it points at. > > How about *just don't call them pointers*? You know, since they aren't > pointers in the computer science sense. > > The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing defines "pointer": > > 1. <programming> An address, from the point of view of a > programming language. A pointer may be typed, with its type > indicating the type of data to which it points.
<snip> > Insisting that Python has pointers is like insisting that you use a text > editor by flipping bits. "What happens if I press Ctrl-X?" "Well, these > bits on the screen flip from black to white, these bits flip from white to > black, and these stay the same." > This is from the docs https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html#id id(object) Return the "identity" of an object. This is an integer which is guaranteed to be unique and constant for this object during its lifetime. Two objects with non-overlapping lifetimes may have the same id() value. CPython implementation detail: This is the address of the object in memory. -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
