Optimize a small-string C++ class

You are implementing a high-performance C/C++ string type that uses a **small-string optimization**: short strings are stored inline in a fixed buffer, and long strings are stored on the heap. Given the (simplified) class layout below: ```cpp const size_t BUFF_SIZE = 128; class MyString { private: char buf[BUFF_SIZE]; // inline storage for “small” strings size_t length; // number of bytes (not including '\0') char* ptr; // heap storage for “large” strings public: MyString(const char* s, size_t len) { length = len; if (len < BUFF_SIZE) { strncpy(buf, s, len); buf[len] = '\0'; } else { ptr = (char*)malloc(len + 1); if (ptr == nullptr) throw "not enough memory"; memcpy(ptr, s, len); ptr[len] = '\0'; } } }; ``` Answer the following: 1. `strncpy(buf, s, len)` copies characters one-by-one conceptually. How would you speed up copying for the small-string case? 2. Is using `memcpy(buf, s, len)` equivalent to `strncpy(buf, s, len)`? If not, what are the behavioral differences and safety pitfalls? 3. In a `cmp`/string-compare function, why can comparing **short strings (< 256 bytes)** be significantly faster than comparing long strings, even if you “ignore the length difference” conceptually? 4. If `BUFF_SIZE == 1`, what is the likely `sizeof(MyString)` on a 32-bit machine vs a 64-bit machine? Explain the role of alignment/padding. 5. If `BUFF_SIZE == 8` but typical strings are ~10–15 characters, how could you redesign the layout to reduce object size and improve cache locality? (Hint: avoid paying for both inline storage and a pointer when only one is needed.)