Re: By Val/By Ref
Stefan Ram wrote:
Since there is only one means of argument passing in Java,
a book teaching only Java best should avoid to mention it
at all. Because there are no other mechanisms, there is no
need to know them, if one only is interested in Java.
There is a need to know in that one could get the question on the Java
certification exam, if the practice exams out there are any
indication.
To know Java only from the point of view of Java is insufficient for
mastery. One must understand Java in the larger context of computer
science. With that one will understand how and why Java method
arguments are pass-by-value only, and how it is that Java does have
pointers, and what a so-called "memory leak" really is in Java. This
subtler and deeper understanding will empower one in the face of
bizarre bugs, and enable better architecture for one's systems.
Some years back I was working on a project involving both C++ and
Java. Both languages have "references", but mean something quite
different thereby.
(It was most instructive to implement Thread and Runnable as C++
constructs.)
Even if all you care about is Java and programming in Java, it's
useful to know the wider background.
--
Lew