I work on embedded computers with mostly around 64K RAM using C99. Any form of alloc is forbidden. So I implemented a string lib that works with what is called here as views. I hold length and contend in preallocated arrays. Each string has exactly 127 characters and is also zero-terminated to fulfill C-API needs, and my tables can hold between 16 and 64 strings depending on the project. There is even a safety zero at index 127 enforced in any operation. This system allows for fast, non-copy workflow, and ownership is always obvious; a string is not owned. I even have different "arenas" for different parts of the system that can clear independently. I use this approach also in a desktop context, albeit scaled up in length and number. This combines view, zero delimiter, ownership, and arena-like management altogether.