Antoon Pardon <antoon.par...@rece.vub.ac.be>: > A reference is not pointer. When you use a reference parameter in > Pascal, it behave like an ordinary parameter within the procedure > block, you don't have to treat it like a pointer.
The word "reference" as used in the Python standards documentation is not the same as "reference parameter in Pascal." Even more confusing, we have "The Python Language Reference," which uses the word in yet a third meaning! Python's reference *is* indeed a pointer, even though there's usually no need to bring the word "pointer" in the discussion. A "reference", "pointer", "arrow", "leash", "morphism" etc are abstract thingies that connect a starting point to an endpoint. (No wonder Java, whose terminology involves references as well, sports a NullPointerException.) Marko -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
