DIP 1014

[Shachar Shemesh]

On 30/09/18 10:26, Manu wrote:
> 
> Other implementations make much better use of that built-in space by
> not wasting 8 bytes on an interior pointer for small-strings.
> 

I will point out that a pointer that *sometimes* points to an internal 
member was one of the use cases I documented when I submitted the DIP.

Starting a long discussion about the merits of the design is a bit 
off-topic. I will point out that branch prediction considerations 
*might* make this a wise choice, despite the loss of 8 bytes of 
potential storage.

Either way, this is a design that is highly sensitive to precise use 
pattern, which, admitably, GNU's std::string probably can't know.

Shachar