• cbazero@programming.dev
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      6 months ago

      I guess you ask for C++. There Type* can be null while Type& can’t be null. When it gets compiled Type& is compiled (mostly) to the same machinecode as Type*.

    • Tangent5280@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Sends original data vs making a copy of data and sending it.

      In meme context you’d be just making a copy of your consciousness and putting it in a machine. Whatever reason you’re doing it for - escape illness, survive armageddon, nothing changes for you. A copy of you lives on though.

    • Valmond@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      You can pass nullptr in the second example (that is not what OP wrote though, hes second is making a copy).