Python isn't really an exception, but yes, I understand what you're saying. Looking through the python source code, it seems again that it is mostly what we are trying to say when no reference is copied. The re-assignment in python is actually copying a reference, but indeed, no new memory need be allocated, for that reference -- sorta, because the identifier (name) still needs to live... inside the memory.
So even though Python doesn't "copy" the reference like JavaScript does (create a new JSVal that points to the same object), it does so on a waaaay lower level (point directly to the original same object).
Ugh. It's giving me a slight headache 😅😅😅.
However, there are actually quite a few (mostly older) languages that don't copy at all, which would be those languages that are not call by value/sharing/object :).
The most interesting to me are copy-restore languages or those theoretical ones that only copy on write... a topic for another time.
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Valentin made a good comment and jmc went into more detail.
Valentin Baca
jmc
Python isn't really an exception, but yes, I understand what you're saying. Looking through the python source code, it seems again that it is mostly what we are trying to say when no reference is copied. The re-assignment in python is actually copying a reference, but indeed, no new memory need be allocated, for that reference -- sorta, because the identifier (name) still needs to live... inside the memory.
So even though Python doesn't "copy" the reference like JavaScript does (create a new JSVal that points to the same object), it does so on a waaaay lower level (point directly to the original same object).
Ugh. It's giving me a slight headache 😅😅😅.
However, there are actually quite a few (mostly older) languages that don't copy at all, which would be those languages that are not call by value/sharing/object :).
The most interesting to me are copy-restore languages or those theoretical ones that only copy on write... a topic for another time.