> you can use a pointer to str_buf anywhere a function calls for a pointer to str Yes, you could, but I see no function mentioned in TFA that wants a pointer t

> you can use a pointer to str_buf anywhere a function calls for a pointer to str Yes, you could, but I see no function mentioned in TFA that wants a pointer to str, only functions that want a str: print_str(), print_fmt(), com_write(). At the same time, the functions that return strings return a struct, never a pointer: str_new(), str_from_range(), str_from_buf(), fmt_buf_new(), and the pseudo-function STR(). To use the memory layout trick you should go through reference + cast + dereference: *((struct str *)&...) My question still holds: is the code littered by such conversion artifacts?