Inconsistency between std::string and string literals

Question

I have discovered a disturbing inconsistency between std::string and string literals in C++0x:

#include 
#include          


        

Answer 1

That you get 6 in the first case is an abstraction leak that couldn't be avoided in C. std::string "fixes" that. For compatibility, the behaviour of C-style string literals does not change in C++.

For example, can std::begin() and std::end() be overloaded for character arrays so that the range they delimit does not include the terminating null character? If so, why was this not done?

Assuming access through a pointer (as opposed to char[N]), only by embedding a variable inside the string containing the number of characters, so that seeking for NULL isn't required any more. Oops! That's std::string.

The way to "resolve the inconsistency" is not to use legacy features at all.