In computer programming, a weak reference is a reference that does not protect the referenced object from collection by a garbage collector; unlike a strong reference. An object referenced only by weak references is considered unreachable (or weakly reachable) and so may be collected at any time. Some garbage-collected languages feature or support various levels of weak references, such as Java, C#, Python, Perl, and Lisp.
Read more about Weak Reference: Garbage Collection, Variations, Examples
Famous quotes containing the words weak and/or reference:
“How weak and little is the light,
All the universe of sight,
Love and delight,
Before the might,
If you love it not, of night.”
—Edward Thomas (1878–1917)
“These roses under my window make no reference to former roses or to better ones; they are for what they are; they exist with God to-day. There is no time to them. There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)