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From: ark@alice.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: why static members can't have initializers or constructurs
Message-ID: <6865@alice.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-May-87 12:43:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: alice.6865
Posted: Wed May  6 12:43:08 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 8-May-87 01:41:54 EDT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Liberty Corner NJ
Lines: 9

Good usage dictates that an external object should be initialized
in exactly one place, and that all declarations for a particular
class should be identical -- in fact, should be included from the
same header file.

If a class definition in a header file has an initialized
static member, there is no way to escape multiple initialization.
Worse, there is no easy way for the compiler to generate
C that will make it through the typical linker.