Python Args By Reference

[Steve Holden]

Grant Edwards wrote:




hopefully not, because that saying that "all arguments are passed
by reference" is extremely confusing for people who've learned about
"call by reference" in school.

as has discussed many times on this list, using "call by object"
(or perhaps "call by object reference" or even "call by sharing")
is better, both for CS heads and for ordinary people.

see e.g.

http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2003-May/163312.html
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2003-May/163028.html
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2003-May/163078.html

from a thread where someone claimed that Python used "call by value"
(which is true, as long as you're free to use your own definition of the
word "value" ;-)

Or, as one might say, '''"call by value" for some value of "value"'''.

regards
Steve