Null Pointers and Null References
When pointers are not initialized, or when they are deleted, they ought to be assigned to null (0). This is not true for references. In fact, a reference cannot be null, and a program with a reference to a null object is considered an invalid program. When a program is invalid, just about anything can happen. It can appear to work, or it can erase all the files on your disk. Both are possible outcomes of an invalid program.
Most compilers will support a null reference without much complaint, crashing only if you try to use the reference in some way. Taking advantage of this, however, is not a good idea. When you move your program to another machine or compiler, mysterious bugs might develop if you have null references. ...
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