Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2004 07:04:52 -0800 (PST)
   From: Sebastian Egner <xxxxxx@yahoo.com>

   [proposed string procedures elided ...]

   This proposal separates the issue of character
   encoding  from the issue of null-terminated strings
   vs. buffers with length.

Yes, it also insulates the C code from Scheme's internal
representation of strings, which may not be as single
contiguous blocks of characters.  Unless Mike objects we'll
add this, or something like it to the SRFI.

                                     -Richard Kelsey