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John Carmack on mutable variables

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498 points azhenley | 1 comments | 31 Oct 25 02:34 UTC | HN request time: 0.216s | source
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anymouse123456 ◴[31 Oct 25 13:50 UTC] No.45771965[source]▶
I completely agree with the assertion and the benefits that ensue, but my attention is always snagged by the nomenclature.

I know there are alternate names available to us, but even in the context of this very conversation (and headline), the thing is being called a "variable."

What is a "variable" if not something that varies?

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1. hannasm ◴[31 Oct 25 19:18 UTC] No.45775669[source]▶
You could always interpret a variable from the perspective of it's memory address. It is clearly variable in the sense that it can and will change between allocations of that address, however an immutable variable is intended to remain constant as long as the current allocation of it remains.