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From: gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn )
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: static stuff...
Message-ID: <6693@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 18-Nov-87 09:53:33 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-smok.6693
Posted: Wed Nov 18 09:53:33 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Nov-87 04:41:47 EST
References: <3011@sigi.Colorado.EDU>
Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn>)
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD.
Lines: 15

In article <3011@sigi.Colorado.EDU> swarbric@tramp.Colorado.EDU (SWARBRICK FRANCIS JOHN) writes:
>First, what is the significance of making a static function?
>Second, aren't all global variables automatically static.  Is there any
>reason to explicitly call them static?

"static" is a C keyword that is heavily overloaded.  It not only is used
to mean "static storage duration" (as opposed to dynamically allocated),
but it also is used to indicate "file scope" (as opposed to global scope).
Sometimes it means both!

The main reason for attaching "static" to a top-level function or datum
in a source file is to prevent its name being visible to object modules
produced from other source files (other "translation units").  A static
datum is also pre-initialized (with 0s of appropriate type if no explicit
initializer is given).