Why raw pointer doesn't own type parameter T for dropcheck

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Why raw pointer doesn't own type parameter T for dropcheck ?

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This is a classic "confusion" with pointers. If I have a pointer (*mut T in Rust or T * in C++), do I own the data or do I just have a pointer to it? Since the drop checker is conservative, Rust assumes that you don't own the data and won't drop it.

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This is safe; if raw pointers owned, the String would drop twice (double free).

let s = "hi".to_string();
let r: *const String = &s;
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Because it is designed not to own. If you need an owning pointer, use Box.

This is like asking "why there is no chocolate mousse in this burger?". Chocolate mousse is delicious, but it does not belong in a burger. If you want chocolate mousse, then that's fine and you can choose to eat it instead of a burger. But at other times you may want a burger instead.

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For another physical analogy: Dropping a raw pointer doesn't drop the pointee in the same way that getting rid of a domain name doesn't require going in and take a hammer to the web server. Someone else might still want to use it.

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