unintern

Unintern is a term primarily used in computer programming, especially within languages that employ string interning. String interning is an optimization technique where duplicate strings are stored only once in memory. When a string is "interned," the system checks if an identical string already exists. If it does, the reference to the existing string is returned instead of creating a new one. This can save memory and speed up string comparisons, as comparing identical interned strings often involves comparing memory addresses rather than character by character.

The term "unintern" refers to the process of removing a string from this pool of interned strings or reversing the interning process. In most practical scenarios, strings are interned automatically by the language's runtime environment and are not meant to be explicitly uninterned by the programmer. The management of the intern pool is typically handled by the garbage collector. Explicitly attempting to unintern a string is uncommon and often not directly supported by programming language APIs.

The concept of uninterning might arise in discussions about memory management or advanced optimization techniques. However, it's important to note that direct control over uninterning is rare, and programmers usually rely on the language's built-in string handling mechanisms. Attempting to manipulate interned strings outside of standard practices could lead to unexpected behavior or errors.