Re: [gobo-eiffel-develop] Memory allocation overhead

[Eric B. <er...@go...>]

Colin Paul Adams wrote:
>>>>>> "Eric" == Eric Bezault <er...@go...> writes:
> 
>     Eric> That does not work in Eiffel. Each time you will access the
>     Eric> expanded C, you will not get a reference to it but a copy of
>     Eric> it.
> 
> That's what I was afraid of.
> 
> Perhaps we should have a syntax for this - reference assignment (note
> that I don't know if I can benefit from this or not - but even if I
> can't there are surely applications that can).

In Eiffel, expanded does not mean that its memory is a subpart
of the memory of another object (this is the compiler which
does -- or possibly does not -- optimize it in such a way).
What Eiffel means by expanded is that an expanded object cannot
be shared by two different objects, and as a consequence the
language talks about expanded in terms of copy semantics.
Allowing reference assignment as you suggest would just open
a can of worms in the language definition.

-- 
Eric Bezault
mailto:er...@go...
http://www.gobosoft.com