Think deep

If you fork a process, then it's the two separate processes but sharing the same memory with copy-on-write mapping.

If you just clone a reference to them, then you are just pointing another finger at them.

Is this really an analogy that resonates with programmers today?

They are, on the exact moment they are cloned. On the next attosecond they are not.

Edit: Well, if they are cloned on the cellular level, otherwise it's just NO.

The real answer btw is no, cloned animals aren't identical to their original, same base traits, but for example in cows spot position will be different

Also unless you can copy their memories, they just won't be the same person.

And then they'd have two different life experiences and would immediately begin to differ.

Okay, now do the Trolley Problem.

If you copy by reference there’s still only one person.

What is clone by reference?

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/76908/trouble-star-trek-transporters

If the transporter takes all the atoms that make up a person, encodes them, beams them somewhere else, and then reassembles them, how can we know that the resulting "person" is the same person who went in?

Depends if you add the ethicator or not

Is it a copy or a hardlink?

Did you remember to override .Equals and .GetHashCode?

Make a deep clone

If you clone them, you'll lose their functions.

Huh. Now my confusion about the chicken and the egg debate makes a lot more sense, it seems odd to me that such an easily answered question ended with so much confusion

I'm now realizing it's only a debate with non programmers, I thought it was a mutual ADHD communication thing, now I'm realizing maybe it's just because they learned about inheritance

It’s not, it’s a copy, but if you think all consciousness is the same, then maybe.

Imagine if you saw someone who looked exactly like you and mimicked your exact actions, but they were just 3 or 4 feet to the left of you. That's by reference (I think)

Contrasting an exact copy of you that can think for itself and has autonomy, which is by value (I think)

That’s some funny shit… XD