Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wasatch!helios.ee.lbl.gov!ux1.lbl.gov!beard
From: beard@ux1.lbl.gov (Patrick C Beard)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: Help!
Keywords: constructors, C++ i/o, extern
Message-ID: <2946@helios.ee.lbl.gov>
Date: 6 Jul 89 05:51:53 GMT
References: <2774@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@helios.ee.lbl.gov
Reply-To: beard@ux1.lbl.gov (Patrick C Beard)
Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley
Lines: 18

The first case works because you are calling a standard C function to
do console i/o, which requires no explicit initialization to work.

The third case works because all static constructors (which the
iostream classes have) are called before you use "cout".

The second case doesn't work because of ordering problems in the calling
of static constructors.  If the stream's constructor was called first,
it would work.

Anyway, it's really bad practice to write code that depends on the order
of calling of static constructors.  Don't do it.  In fact, I think
static constructors are nothing but trouble (mho, of course).

I hope this explains your problem.

Patrick Beard
beard@lbl.gov