[Edu-sig] Pass by Reference

[John Posner]

> ... and stop trying to invent new names for a parameter passing mechanism
> that is identical in function to traditional call by value.
> 

Yeah, but ... it will be difficult to stick to a call-by-value
characterization when confronted with this example, which is straight from
"Call by Reference 101":

def AddArtist(mylist):
    mylist.append('TheOtherTerry')
 
>>> troupe
['Graham', 'John', 'Eric', 'Michael', 'Terry']

>>> AddArtist(troupe)

>>> troupe
['Graham', 'John', 'Eric', 'Michael', 'Terry', 'TheOtherTerry']


Most students (especially newbies) won't care about what happens under the
hood -- not at first. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks
like a duck ...

-John