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Date: Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:49:46 -0700
From: Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org>
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Subject: Re: DataInputStream
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On 10/6/2011 7:08 AM, Lew wrote:
...
> But do feel free to use the term "reference", which in Java's
> nomenclature is exactly equivalent to "pointer".
>
> The key feature of a pointer is that it points to something.  The
> ability to alias pointer types (e.g., 'byte' array to 'float' array),
> perform pointer arithmetic or to point to invalid memory are not
> essential to the definition of "pointer".
...

<pedant>
According to the JLS, "The reference values (often just references) are
pointers to these objects, and a special null reference, which refers to
no object."

That is, a pointer always points to something. A reference may be null,
in which case it does not point to anything and therefore is not a pointer.
<\pedant>

Patricia