Make the string type elements "immutable", akin to char const * in C

Allows for extra security and optimization benefits

core/encoding/cel/cel.odin

@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ print :: proc(p: ^Parser, pretty := false) {
 }
 
 create_from_string :: proc(src: string) -> (^Parser, bool) {
-	return init(cast([]byte)src);
+	return init(transmute([]byte)src);
 }
 
 
@@ -726,8 +726,8 @@ calculate_binary_value :: proc(p: ^Parser, op: Kind, a, b: Value) -> (Value, boo
 		case Kind.Add:
 			n := len(a) + len(b);
 			data := make([]byte, n);
-			copy(data[:], cast([]byte)a);
-			copy(data[len(a):], cast([]byte)b);
+			copy(data[:], a);
+			copy(data[len(a):], b);
 			s := string(data);
 			append(&p.allocated_strings, s);
 			return s, true;

core/encoding/json/marshal.odin

@@ -95,17 +95,17 @@ marshal_arg :: proc(b: ^strings.Builder, v: any) -> Marshal_Error {
 		buf: [386]byte;
 
 		str := strconv.append_float(buf[1:], val, 'f', 2*ti.size, 8*ti.size);
-		str = string(buf[:len(str)+1]);
-		if str[1] == '+' || str[1] == '-' {
-			str = str[1:];
+		s := buf[:len(str)+1];
+		if s[1] == '+' || s[1] == '-' {
+			s = s[1:];
 		} else {
-			str[0] = '+';
+			s[0] = '+';
 		}
-		if str[0] == '+' {
-			str = str[1:];
+		if s[0] == '+' {
+			s = s[1:];
 		}
 
-		write_string(b, str);
+		write_string(b, string(s));
 
 	case Type_Info_Complex:
 		return Marshal_Error.Unsupported_Type;

core/encoding/json/parser.odin

@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ parse_array :: proc(p: ^Parser) -> (value: Value, err: Error) {
 clone_string :: proc(s: string, allocator: mem.Allocator) -> string {
 	n := len(s);
 	b := make([]byte, n+1, allocator);
-	copy(b, cast([]byte)s);
+	copy(b, s);
 	b[n] = 0;
 	return string(b[:n]);
 }
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ unquote_string :: proc(token: Token, spec: Specification, allocator := context.a
 	}
 
 	b := make([]byte, len(s) + 2*utf8.UTF_MAX, allocator);
-	w := copy(b, cast([]byte)s[0:i]);
+	w := copy(b, s[0:i]);
 	loop: for i < len(s) {
 		c := s[i];
 		switch {