This is an unofficial snapshot of the ISO/IEC JTC1 SC22 WG21 Core Issues List revision 116a. See http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg21/ for the official list.
2024-12-19
[Voted into the WP at the March, 2009 meeting.]
According to 6.6 [basic.link] paragraph 3,
A name having namespace scope (6.4.6 [basic.scope.namespace]) has internal linkage if it is the name of
an object, reference, function or function template that is explicitly declared static or,
an object or reference that is explicitly declared const and neither explicitly declared extern nor previously declared to have external linkage;
It is not possible to declare a reference to be const.
Proposed resolution (March, 2008):
Change 6.6 [basic.link] paragraph 3 as indicated (note addition of punctuation in the first bullet):
A name having namespace scope (6.4.6 [basic.scope.namespace]) has internal linkage if it is the name of
an object, reference, function, or function template that is explicitly declared static; or,
an object
or referencethat is explicitly declared const and neither explicitly declared extern nor previously declared to have external linkage; ora data member of an anonymous union.