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Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes

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Arne Vajhøj wrote:
> What is the difference between pointers for someone from a C background
> and C style pointers?

"Pointers" are things defined generally for computer science and don't really depend on one's background any more than does the definition of "photon".  "C-style pointer" is a colloquial way to express the connotative package of assumptions about the attributes and behaviors of pointers made by those with a background in "C", or really any non-Java language.  One of Java's innovations (or errors, depending on your outlook) was the removal of most of the attributes and behaviors those with a C background tend to associate with pointers.  Only the core notion that they point to the location of an object remained, pretty much.  No more arithmetic, no more wild pointing into spaces beyond allocated memory, no more aliasing pointers to different types.  The notion of pointer was bound much more tightly to the underlying type in Java than in C.  In keeping, somewhat, with C/C++ usage and more general computer programming terminology, Java primarily uses the term "reference", which I suppose carries more connotations of fixed target and tightly-bound type.  Still, they took pains to note in the JLS that references are pointers.

So, summary: "pointers" are what they are regardless of one's background, "C-style pointers" are pointers implemented with the attributes and behaviors that pointers possess in C.

-- 
Lew

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Size of an arraylist in bytes sara <sarasara82@gmail.com> - 2011-11-20 13:01 -0800
  Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes markspace <-@.> - 2011-11-20 13:05 -0800
    Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes sara <sarasara82@gmail.com> - 2011-11-20 13:11 -0800
      Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Andreas Leitgeb <avl@gamma.logic.tuwien.ac.at> - 2011-11-20 21:58 +0000
      Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes markspace <-@.> - 2011-11-20 14:08 -0800
      Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-11-20 14:50 -0800
      Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2011-11-20 18:06 -0500
      Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2011-11-20 20:28 -0800
  Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-11-20 16:30 -0500
    Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes sara <sarasara82@gmail.com> - 2011-11-20 13:35 -0800
      Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-11-20 17:19 -0500
    Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Eric Sosman <esosman@ieee-dot-org.invalid> - 2011-11-20 16:58 -0500
      Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-11-20 14:04 -0800
        Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2011-11-20 17:18 -0500
          Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2011-11-20 14:48 -0800
            Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2011-11-25 22:12 -0500
      Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2011-11-20 20:44 -0800
        Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2011-11-25 22:16 -0500
          Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2011-11-25 20:15 -0800
  Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2011-11-20 22:25 -0800
    Re: Size of an arraylist in bytes Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2011-11-25 22:11 -0500

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