Day 5 – Variables

Such a simple thing, isn’t it? A variable is a name that holds a value.

Occasionally, the value it’s holding might be replaced by a different one — hence the name. (According to the surgeon general, variables that don’t experience change on a regular basis should see their physician, and ask to be diagnosed as constants.)

Even though they’re very easy to grasp, and basically every language has them, my goal today is to convince you that variables are actually wonderfully tricky. In a good way! I aim to make you stumble out of this blog post, dazed, mumbling “I thought I knew variables, but I really had no idea…”.

Towards the end, the experimental language 007 will also figure, because it’s completely and utterly this language’s fault that I’m thinking so much about variables.