Mark Schoonover wrote:
On Jan 15, 2008 9:34 AM, Darren New <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Gus Wirth wrote:
The programmers of the future won't be using languages that have
pointers. Look at Java, Python, Perl, TCL/TK (Hi Lan!), PHP, Javascript,
Erlang, Haskell, Ruby, and many of the other new and experimental
languages coming out. NONE of the new languages have pointers.
Errr, no. Python, Java, Javascript and Ruby all have pointers. Probably
erlang as well, but I don't know that one yet, and possibly Perl for
some meaning of the word "pointer". Not Haskell or Tcl, because they're
both value-only languages, in essence.
Also lacking pointers: FORTRAN, COBOL, APL. :-) Seeing a pattern here?
Perl has references, but I'm not exactly sure if they're just like C
pointers. I didn't know Java had pointers! So, what's the problem with Java
schools if the exact same curriculum can be taught with Java as can be done
with C. I'm now under the impression that Java pointers are somehow
different than C. Since I don't know Java, I'm a tad clueless...
Java uses references for all of its objects, and this is how Darren is
equating them to being like C. There are differences between C's
pointers and the stuff in Java (and Java has some more sophisticated
references that interact with the garbage collector), but the key
concept of reference is intact.
--Chris
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