What is the origin of the term "baller" which means "pointer"?

Question

I've seen the term "baller" used in a couple of C++ interview tests. It means "pointer" as best as I can tell from questions like "Describe the difference between a baller and a reference." I thought that perhaps it was an Indian term due to some Google deduction, but a couple of Indian co-workers who went to school in India said they've never heard of it.

Where does the term "baller" come from and does it actually mean "pointer?"

Updates:

• Please google for "baller pointer C++" if you think the term can't possibly be real.
• Almost all of the google results are found in pages about C++ knowledge tests.

Answer 1

I'm an experienced C/C++ programmer and I've never heard the term "baller" before.

Answer 2

I've never heard the term "baller" in any programming context before. You sure it wasn't a trick question?

Answer 3

Can you post the place where you find this term?

Answer 4

I've never heard of it in reference to programming. I thought the term had something to do with the 20" chrome rim crowd.

Thus, the correct answer is "The baller has 22s on his H2, the reference librarian drives a Prius."

Answer 5

"Describe the difference between a baller and a reference."

Well, one is a valid term with a well defined meaning in common C/C++ use. The other is a goofy term that may or may not refer to a valid C/C++ concept.

Seriously though, if anyone ever asks you that question in an actual interview, tell them that you have never heard the term baller used in C. Either they will respect the fact that you can be honest with your lack of knowledge on a topic, or you will avoid working for someone that has unreasonable expectations for you to know every little made up way of talking about C.

Answer 6

The reference is real, the 'baller' is made up

Answer 7

I can only speculate that it has to do with the pointer operator *, which someone could take to look a little like a basketball. I suppose that in some circles baller sounds better than asterisk. I've never heard it in this context before and because the only context I can find it using google is the same set of interview questions, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Answer 8

My guess would be that it refers to the * used to declare a pointer, which to some may look like a ball. I've never heard this term used before, though. Pointers are confusing enough that we don't need even more words for them. :)

Answer 9

I'm sorry i've read this on the few sites where that term is used:

What about Virtual Destructor?

Yes there is a Virtual Destructor. A destructor can be virtual as it is possible as at runtime depending on the type of object baller is balling to, proper destructor will be called.

I seriously doubt there is anything to that weird term, never heard it either. Putting "to ball" into my translator spits out some naughty words, and "baller" also gives no useful result. Possibly some pupil translated some word, and then others copied it.

Answer 10

A quick Google search shows this term only relating to questions / answers for job interviews. My guess, along with several others, is that it refers to the '*' symbol. I would consider it someone's rather strange private term rather then a generally accept name.

Answer 11

Is this yet another clbuttic case of /point/ball/?

Seriously, no one uses baller instead of pointer.

SO has tags, so we can tag them all!

Answer 12

I suspect some automated translation software is behind this? You know, the sort of thing that translates 'out of sight, out of mind' to 'invisible idiot'.

That or some (really bad) spellchecker has been at work.

Answer 13

The only context I have for this term is in the song 'Bills Bills Bills' by Destiny's Child, in which it is strongly implied that a baller is the opposite of a scrub (who "don't know what a man's about").

Also I'm worried by the idea that dereferencing a pointer might be described as "de-balling".

Answer 14

I can find only one programming reference to it. It's got to be a Clbuttic mistake.

Answer 15

This is pretty funny - the Google references point to articles on "interview questions" that obviously fed off each other (probably from Googling as well :-) ).

The original author made a "typo" and wrote "baller" and "balling" instead of "caller" and "calling". -)

Google results propogated it from there.

Answer 16

Sounds like a load of pointocks to me.

Answer 17

I've definitely seen that in real code somewhere before but I can't for the life of me remember where. Maybe it was back on the old Amiga platform?

Answer 18

Maybe this is now a good reverse interview test. i.e., if you are asked in an interview about the "difference between a baller and a reference", and upon correcting them they still insist on "baller", then you should run, not walk, out of there