Garbage Collection doubt

[david colais]

class CardBoard {
    Short story = 5;
    CardBoard go(CardBoard cb) {
    cb = null;
    return cb;
  }
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    CardBoard c1 = new CardBoard();
    CardBoard c2 = new CardBoard();
    CardBoard c3 = c1.go(c2);
    c1 = null;
    // do Stuff
} }

Guys at the //do Stuff line how many objects are eligible for garbage collection.

[Deepak Chopra]

2.

Two object were created -

C1 ==> obj1 and Short1 obj
C2 ==> obj2 and Short2 obj

C3 ==> obj1.go(obj2) ==> null
C1 ==> null ( obj1, Short1 eligible for GC)

C2 ==> obj2, Short2 (still valid )

[david colais]

My doubt is when you pass c2 to the go() method in the initialization of c3 object wont that object c2 also become null.
Please correct me if i am wrong...

[Deepak Chopra]

No, C2 will not be eligible for GC.

When you write -
C1.go(C2) --> you actually pass the reference of C2 object to other object, not the object itself.
so when you called this method -

C2 ==> refer to obj2
cb ==> refer to obj2

then you change cb referece -
cb = null

but C2 is still referring to obj2.

[Wouter Oet]

Please QuoteYourSources.