On Tue, 13 Dec 2005, Steven D'Aprano wrote: > On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 18:51:36 -0600, Larry Bates wrote: > > [snippidy-doo-dah] > >> I had the same thought, but reread the post. He asks "if a given >> variable is a character or a number". I figured that even if he is >> coming from another language he knows the difference between "a given >> variable" and the "contents of a give variable". I guess we will >> see.... ;-). This list is so good, he gets BOTH questions answered. > > The problem is, Python doesn't have variables (although it is > oh-so-tempting to use the word, I sometimes do myself). It has names in > namespaces, and objects.
In what sense are the names-bound-to-references-to-objects not variables? > It be a subtle difference, but an important one. No, it's just spin, bizarre spin for which i can see no reason. Python has variables. > That's why, for instance, Python is neither call by reference nor call > by value, it is call by object. No, python is call by value, and it happens that all values are pointers. Just like java, but without the primitive types, and like LISP, and like a load of other languages. Python's parameter passing is NO DIFFERENT to that in those languages, and those languages are ALL described as call-by-value, so to claim that python does not use call-by-reference but some random new 'call-by-object' convention is incorrect, unneccessary, confusing and silly. </rant> I'm sure this has been argued over many times here, and we still all have our different ideas, so please just ignore this post! tom -- So the moon is approximately 24 toasters from Scunthorpe. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
