Variables of struct and class types are called objects - discuss

[Mike Parker]

On Sunday, 3 August 2025 at 11:11:43 UTC, Brother Bill wrote:
> In Programming in D book, page 247, it is written:  Variables 
> of struct and class types are called objects.
>
> This struck me as odd and confusing.  I have always been taught 
> that objects are instances of classes.  That is, new MyClass 
> creates an instance or object of MyClass.
>
> There was a wall between value types and reference types.
> Of course structs and class types are both user defined types, 
> but one with value semantics and the other with reference 
> semantics.
>
> Given that most languages support both user defined value types 
> and user defined reference types, that D use the same term for 
> both instances.
>
> Am curious whether experienced D developers actually refer to 
> both struct and class variables as "objects" without confusion.
>
> Is this something that most D newbies struggle over?
>
> Please assist with my "deprogramming" from "objects" being only 
> for reference types.
>

Classes and structs in C++ are both value types, and instances of 
both are referred to as objects. This isn't unusual.

An object is a concrete instance of a type described by a class 
or struct definition. It's the thing you're manipulating, not the 
definition. Whether you're manipulating it directly or through a 
reference makes no difference. Whether it's on the stack or the 
heap makes no difference.

Consider that a pointer to a struct a reference to the struct 
instance in the same way a class variable is a reference to a 
class instance.