API : constness ?

[Erik Max Francis]

Isaac To wrote:

> This is not quite right.  A string literal is always put into
> read-only
> memory, no matter whether you specify const or not.

That's not true.  It _can_ be put in read-only memory.  It is not
mandated to.

> So:
> 
>   int main() {
>       char *str = "abc";
>       str[0] = '\b'; // segmentation fault
>   }

No, this is undefined behavior.  It's undefined behavior so that the
implementation _can_ put the string literal in read-only memory, but the
implementation is under no obligation to.

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