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:
“Here’s that which is too weak to be a sinner,
Honest water, which ne’er left man i’ th’ mire.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“The common behavior of mankind is the system of reference by means of which we interpret an unknown language.”
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951)