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[Python-Dev] python-dev Summary for 2003-03-01 through 2003-03-15

Zooko zooko@zooko.com
Tue, 18 Mar 2003 06:40:41 -0500 
> Capabilities can loosely be thought of like bound methods.  Security with
> capabilities is done based on possession; if you hold a reference to an
> object you can use that object.

No -- capabilities (as envisioned for Python) are references.  Whether a 
reference to an object, to a bound method, or to a function doesn't matter.

Note that it isn't that capabilities are "like" references, it is that 
capabilities *are* references.  Every reference is a capability.  Every 
capability is a reference.

> Security with
> capabilities is done based on possession; if you hold a reference to an
> object you can use that object.

Yes.

Regards,

Zooko

http://zooko.com/
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