"Error: `TypeInfo` cannot be used with -betterC" on a CTFE function

[Richard (Rikki) Andrew Cattermole]

On 15/04/2024 10:36 AM, Liam McGillivray wrote:
> Well, it did work when I tried it (using a string variable, not a 
> literal of course). It displayed as it is supposed to. But from the 
> information I can find on the web it looks like strings are sometimes 
> but not |always| zero-terminated. Not a great look for the language. Are 
> there any rules to determine when it is and when it isn't (for string 
> variables)?

String literals, which are constants that the compiler puts into ROM of 
the object file, are zero terminated because it doesn't cost anything to 
do this.

At runtime, unless you explicitly append the null terminator, no string 
contains it.

D's strings are slices, pointer + length. These are superior in both 
performance (not having to strlen all the time) and are safer (bounds 
checked access).

Null terminated strings are a technical debt due to legacy constraints. 
We would all be better off if C supported slices. Plenty of notable 
exploits couldn't of happened if they were used instead.