🚀 go-pugleaf

In article 6023@thone.demon.co.uk, Andy Sawyer <andys@thone.demon.co.uk> writes:
>In article <44k3iv$mok@cnn.Princeton.EDU>
>           tim@franck.Princeton.EDU "Tim Hollebeek" writes:

> > Ronald F. Guilmette <rfg@monkeys.com> wrote:
> > >Heck!  If you are going to ask about _that_ why not ask why member
> > >functions get a `this' _pointer_ rather than a `this' reference?
> > >The latter would clearly have been a far better choice.
> > 
> > Agreed. I'm tired of returning *this.

>I also agree....

The reason "this" is a pointer is that it was introduced into C++ before
references were part of the language. If references had been part of C++
at the time, "this" would have been a reference. (I believe you can find
that comment in D&E.)

I hope everyone realizes that it is far too late now to change "this" to
a reference. The change would break every C++ program in exchange for a
very minor notational convenience. (You don't normally need to write "this"
very often in a program, but nearly every program contains a few instances.)

---
Steve Clamage, stephen.clamage@eng.sun.com



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