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POOfficial names for pointer operators
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copied!<p>What are the official names for the operators <code>*</code> and <code>&</code> in the context of pointers? They seem to be frequently called <em>dereference operator</em> and <em>address-of operator</em> respectively, but unfortunately, the section on unary operators in the standard does not name them.</p> <p>I really don't want to name <code>&</code> <em>address-of</em> anymore, because <code>&</code> returns a pointer, not an address. (see below) The standard is very clear about this:</p> <blockquote> <p>The result of the unary <code>&</code> operator is a <strong>pointer</strong> to its operand.</p> </blockquote> <p>Symmetry suggests to name <code>&</code> <em>reference operator</em> which is a little unfortunate because of the collision with references in C++. The fact that <code>&</code> returns a pointer suggests <em>pointer operator</em>. Are there any official sources that would confirm these (or other) namings?</p> <h2>pointers vs. addresses</h2> <p>A pointer is a language mechanism, while an address is an implementation detail. Addresses are untyped, while pointers aren't, except for <code>void*</code>. Kevlin Henney also distinguishes between pointers and addresses in an <a href="http://www.se-radio.net/transcript-91-kevlin-henney-c" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Interview</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>C [...] allows us to abstract the specifics of the machine to the point that we are talking about pointers and not addresses. There is a whole load of pain that you no longer have to go through.</p> </blockquote>

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