Posted by Steve on 12/31/07 04:07

"Michael Fesser" <netizen@gmx.de> wrote in message
news:elngn3d4quaalmvpmu5fl724rs29asuj1c@4ax.com...
> .oO(Steve)
>
>>"Jerry Stuckle" <jstucklex@attglobal.net> wrote in message
>>news:mJidnRYAhdsKJO7anZ2dnUVZ_sbinZ2d@comcast.com...
>>
>>> Wrong again, Stevie. A C++ pointer is not the same as a C++ reference.
>>> And C doesn't have references, just as PHP doesn't have pointers.
>>>
>>>> in php, a reference (or byref) behaves *IDENTICALLY* to a c/c++
>>>> pointer.
>>>> there are somethings that you cannot do with this reference in php that
>>>> you could in other languages, however, the nature of the beast is the
>>>> same. i know that a reference in php is really just an alias of the
>>>> symbol table entry, but really that just seems a matter of symantics to
>>>> me. i don't care where things are stored at such a low level when i'm
>>>> writing in a scripting language. i care about behaviors.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Wrong again. They behave much differently.
>>
>>read, jerry, read. show me how in *PHP* the behavior is different.
>
> All these things can't be done with references as they exist in PHP:
>
> * pointer arithmetics
> * pointer pointers
> * working with the pointer itself or the value it points to (which is
> the basis for the first two things)
> * ...
>
> There are _no_ pointers in PHP. A reference is _not_ a pointer.
>
> And since PHP references behave identically to C++ references (both are
> symbol table alias names), your statement above would also mean that C++
> references behave identically to pointers as well. Would you tell that
> to a C++ programmer?

no, i wouldn't. again though micha, i explained that using the term
'pointer' for someone starting out in php makes understanding how aliasing
works a bit simpler.

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