Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!not-for-mail From: Ian Kelly Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Subject: Re: What is a function parameter =[] for? Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2015 17:59:48 -0700 Lines: 17 Message-ID: References: <564dbe6b$0$1610$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <564df258$0$1604$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> <564e68d0$0$1608$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 X-Trace: news.uni-berlin.de 1WpJfUb38yGxp5B/8rjRwAMDs3qt6JtZNwVq0KQZlM7A== Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.025 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.95; '*S*': 0.00; '"""': 0.05; '*name*': 0.09; 'ambiguity': 0.09; 'python': 0.10; 'distinction': 0.16; 'received:io': 0.16; 'received:psf.io': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.16; 'copied': 0.18; '>': 0.18; '2015': 0.20; 'trying': 0.22; 'wrote': 0.23; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.24; "doesn't": 0.26; 'message-id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.27; 'values': 0.28; 'quoting': 0.29; 'referenced': 0.29; "i'm": 0.30; 'posts': 0.30; 'received:google.com': 0.35; 'nov': 0.35; 'something': 0.35; 'there': 0.36; 'received:209.85': 0.36; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.36; 'subject:?': 0.36; 'pm,': 0.36; 'subject:: ': 0.37; 'skip:& 10': 0.37; 'say': 0.37; 'received:209.85.213': 0.37; 'received:209': 0.38; 'names': 0.38; 'mean': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.40; 'some': 0.40; 'back': 0.62; 'here.': 0.62; 'between': 0.65; 'contains.': 0.84; 'to:name:python': 0.84 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:date:message-id:subject:from:to :content-type; bh=FOnNHtVFfPX1N2/yEUBoADYB0Pf2meSUB2k0sfBxxxY=; b=VT8E4xMxm5paV8EGvS1HOQ9G04susX8PV1lE/rmagj7/JKq36ifk8iceKVqvJ/h0sJ /uzd6nmryMsWYcJtfPL6oJq+k0F5+dbqBggTZH6DA3tMATguBoQ/JVIFCA//U6xMTA7H v8C+OXL/wKf9W9dOl5Dar0QvWuaMbXpharap5nJjfsAbyXuz8/dW1LZ6rZxIpglAEbW4 WwUAfKLYyRoqPAhufdDRk3zxpBD7OyvQ6LVHIVNl6atyn43tggSuyFjw5QMZiqS6FmJ+ dDPgQIQSEqu46ezbb6xkxR4lJ3VKlKF37kkG/5HV3Tveprq9ocUaMoB5v/HlJKRdGsCD sIMg== X-Received: by 10.50.64.147 with SMTP id o19mr719573igs.52.1447981188657; Thu, 19 Nov 2015 16:59:48 -0800 (PST) In-Reply-To: <564e68d0$0$1608$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.20+ X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20+ Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:99115 On Nov 19, 2015 5:31 PM, "Steven D'Aprano" wrote: > > [Aside: there is some ambiguity here. If I say "a reference to B", I > actually mean a reference to the object referenced to by B. I don't mean a > reference to the *name* B. Python doesn't support that feature: names are > not values in Python.] Quoting BartC: """ if you write A=B then something of B needs to have been copied into A, even if it's just the reference that B contains. Otherwise it would be difficult to get A to refer to the same object as B. """ If you're trying to draw some distinction between what BartC wrote 17 posts back and what you wrote here, I'm not seeing it.