Go: Using pointers to reduce copies is premature optimization

When deciding whether to use pointers or values in Go, the size of the data being dealt with is a crucial factor. For small or negligible amounts of data, it doesn't matter much. However, with extremely large variables, passing by pointer can be necessary to avoid excessive copying. The performance impact of pointers depends on the CPU's caching behavior, and there is no general rule for when to use pointers. Instead, focus on expressing your intent in code and consider profiling for optimization if copying large values becomes a bottleneck.