Imho that's not really correct, or at least misleading.
In Python, variable "foo" behaves like its value is a non-reference if the value is what some languages call "unboxed", for example numbers and strings.
That's exactly the same as Perl.
Technically, Python shares objects even in the case of numbers being copied around, and the object's address is visible with the "id()" function.
(I emphasise address because that was a criticism of Perl in another comment, but everything in Python is memory with an address as well and the criticism ought to apply more strongly because even numbers need memory allocation.)
However, the fact that numbers are immutably-shared when assigned in Python doesn't make their behaviour any different from numbers being assigned in Perl (apart from the obscure id()). It's hard to imagine what "problem" is created in Perl by the fact that numbers and strings are non-references. Most other languages do like Perl.
With strings, Perl does both according to a performance heuristic: Sometimes it copies, sometimes it shares. This is completely safe because you can't tell the difference at language semantics level anyway.
In Python, variable "foo" behaves like its value is a non-reference if the value is what some languages call "unboxed", for example numbers and strings.
That's exactly the same as Perl.
Technically, Python shares objects even in the case of numbers being copied around, and the object's address is visible with the "id()" function.
(I emphasise address because that was a criticism of Perl in another comment, but everything in Python is memory with an address as well and the criticism ought to apply more strongly because even numbers need memory allocation.)
However, the fact that numbers are immutably-shared when assigned in Python doesn't make their behaviour any different from numbers being assigned in Perl (apart from the obscure id()). It's hard to imagine what "problem" is created in Perl by the fact that numbers and strings are non-references. Most other languages do like Perl.
With strings, Perl does both according to a performance heuristic: Sometimes it copies, sometimes it shares. This is completely safe because you can't tell the difference at language semantics level anyway.