From: billwolf@hubcap.clemson.edu (William Thomas Wolfe,2847,)
Subject: Re: Reference Semantics
Date: 5 Dec 88 12:31:34 GMT [thread overview]
Message-ID: <3739@hubcap.UUCP> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 10322@umn-cs.CS.UMN.EDU
From article <10322@umn-cs.CS.UMN.EDU>, by stachour@umn-cs.CS.UMN.EDU (Paul Stachour):
> I'm for reference semantics. They are natural, efficient, and
> don't force this explicit-pointer "junk". But let's make sure
> what we can do with them in today's environment before we ask
> Ada 9X to mandate them.
OK, we're sold on the benefits of reference semantics. Let's assume
that "in out" parameters are always passed by reference. Now why
should it be impossible for the programmer to choose pass-by-value,
as in "in" and "out" modes?
(BTW, a good compiler could eliminate the copy in many cases by
proving to itself that there is no attempt to modify the "in" parameter
and therefore just passing it by reference anyway. Such compiler analysis
is necessary because programmers frequently want to use "in" mode
just to assure the procedure's users that the parameter will not
be modified. But sometimes the local copy is modified, and the
copy then becomes something that would have had to be done anyway.
To force an explicit copy would then reduce program readability.)
next prev parent reply other threads:[~1988-12-05 12:31 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 70+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
1988-11-14 13:20 Ada language revision Stanley Roger Allen, AdaDude
1988-11-15 23:28 ` Wilmer Rivers
1988-11-16 19:06 ` William Thomas Wolfe,2847,
1988-11-17 15:34 ` Stephe Leake
1988-11-18 16:39 ` Steve Tynor
1988-11-18 19:22 ` Ron Guilmette
1988-11-23 22:22 ` William Thomas Wolfe,2847,
1988-11-29 15:35 ` Stephe Leake
1988-11-18 0:32 ` Ron Guilmette
1988-11-22 14:37 ` Stephe Leake
1988-11-23 13:37 ` Dennis Doubleday
1988-11-23 19:41 ` Steve Tynor
1988-11-23 21:14 ` Richard Pattis
1988-11-25 20:36 ` Robert Firth
1988-11-29 15:12 ` limited private types Stephe Leake
1988-12-01 23:06 ` Ron Guilmette
1988-12-05 1:48 ` Paul Stachour
1988-12-05 12:31 ` William Thomas Wolfe,2847, [this message]
1988-12-06 0:29 ` Reference Semantics Paul Stachour
1988-12-07 1:07 ` Reference Semantics, assignment overloading, etc Ray Trent
1988-12-08 17:36 ` Reference Semantics, assignment ryer
1988-12-06 16:56 ` limited private types ryer
1988-12-06 20:09 ` stt
1988-12-07 15:51 ` Stephe Leake
1988-11-21 15:40 ` Ada language revision stt
-- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
1988-11-28 22:19 Collective response to := messages Geoff Mendal
1988-11-29 14:39 ` Dennis Doubleday
1988-11-29 21:08 ` Ray Trent
1988-11-30 14:37 ` Stephe Leake
1988-12-01 14:54 ` David S. Rosenblum
1988-12-02 20:21 ` William Thomas Wolfe,2847,
1988-12-04 21:15 ` David S. Rosenblum
1988-12-04 23:27 ` William Thomas Wolfe,2847,
1988-12-05 14:46 ` David S. Rosenblum
1988-12-05 21:23 ` William Thomas Wolfe,2847,
1988-12-07 17:33 ` Stephe Leake
1988-12-07 16:03 ` Definition of pass by reference Robert Eachus
1988-12-07 17:15 ` Collective response to := messages Stephe Leake
1988-12-07 16:07 ` Stephe Leake
1988-12-09 3:15 ` David S. Rosenblum
1988-12-01 21:31 ` Ray Trent
1988-12-07 16:21 ` Stephe Leake
1988-11-30 16:29 ` David S. Rosenblum
1988-11-30 18:29 ` William Thomas Wolfe,2847,
1988-11-30 22:28 ` David S. Rosenblum
1988-12-01 3:09 ` William Thomas Wolfe,2847,
1988-12-01 15:16 ` David S. Rosenblum
1988-12-02 19:31 ` William Thomas Wolfe,2847,
1988-12-04 21:03 ` David S. Rosenblum
1988-12-05 2:34 ` William Thomas Wolfe,2847,
1988-12-05 14:07 ` David S. Rosenblum
1988-12-07 17:26 ` Stephe Leake
1988-12-06 19:16 ` Collective response to := messa stt
1988-12-09 3:39 ` David S. Rosenblum
1988-11-30 19:13 ` CORRECTION Re: Collective response to := messages David S. Rosenblum
1988-12-01 18:31 ` Ray Trent
1988-12-02 14:49 ` David S. Rosenblum
1988-12-05 17:33 ` Collective response to := messa stt
1988-11-30 18:24 ` Collective response to := messages Robert Eachus
1988-12-02 14:58 ` David S. Rosenblum
1988-12-02 19:34 ` Mark C. Adolph
1988-12-05 17:15 ` Collective response to := messa stt
1988-11-29 21:44 ` Collective response to := messages William Thomas Wolfe,2847,
1989-07-26 20:34 Memory Access Question tony
1989-07-27 13:06 ` richard a hammond
1989-07-27 18:53 ` Ray Trent
1989-07-28 0:48 ` Mike Murphy
1989-08-02 13:23 ` Mike Walsh
1989-08-02 20:20 ` Mike Murphy
1989-07-29 0:00 ` Brian Sullivan
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