non-owning references?

[Emmanuel Surleau]

On Friday 24 July 2009 17:14:06 you wrote:
> Hrvoje Niksic <hniksic at xemacs.org> writes:
> > The term "variable" is used in the Python language reference and
> > elsewhere
>
> Yes. It should also be abundantly clear from the constant stream of
> confused newbies on this point that its usage of that term is different
> to what many expect from usage elsewhere.
>
> > and is quite compatible with how other popular languages (Java, PHP,
> > Lisp, ...) use it. Please stop complaining about valid terminology; it
> > is not helpful.
>
> I disagree with your assertions.
>
> Rather than yet another round of this tedious debate, I merely point
> interested readers to <URL:http://effbot.org/zone/python-objects.htm>
> and ask them to draw their own conclusion on how compatible their
> pre-existing “variable” concept is with Python's object reference
> model.

Then I must be one of these "confused newbies". After a cursory look at your 
article, I don't see a difference with Java variables (as long as we speak 
about non-primitive types).

Cheers,

Emm