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rynmrtn/immutable_v_mutable.mdown

Created December 28, 2009 20:31
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immutable_v_mutable.mdown

Immutable vs. Mutable Objects

Advantages of Immutable

  • There is no way for multiple threads to concurrently mutate or access an immutable value as no thread can change an immutable object.
  • When passing a value into foreign code, one can be assured that an immutable value will not change.
  • There are fewer concerns - immutable objects cannot have complex states that change over time.

Disadvantages of Immutable

  • When an object is quite large, it is inefficient to update the full object graph. In some cases, it is best to do an in-place modification.
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