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NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2026 20:01:18 +0000
From: steve g <Sgonedes1977@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Initialization Of Static Pointer Variables
References: <11681np$3s8jk$4@dont-email.me> <11683d0$jki7$1@artemis.inf.ed.ac.uk> <116a7vj$iojj$1@dont-email.me> <116c07d$1274o$1@dont-email.me>
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2026 16:01:18 -0400
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David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> writes:

> On 21/08/2026 21:12, Chris M. Thomasson wrote:
>> On 8/20/2026 4:42 PM, Richard Tobin wrote:
>>> In article <11681np$3s8jk$4@dont-email.me>,
>>> Lawrence D;Oliveiro  <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>>> The spec also says that all static variables are initialized to zero
>>>> at program start time. Are pointer variables allowed to be given an
>>>> all-zero bit pattern at this time? Or are they supposed to be
>>>> initialized to the NULL value (if that's different) instead?
>>>
>>> ISO C 1999, 6.7.8:
>>>
>>> If an object that has automatic storage duration is not initialized
>>> explicitly, its value is indeterminate. If an object that has static
>>> storage duration is not initialized explicitly, then:
>>>
>>> — if it has pointer type, it is initialized to a null pointer;
>> Oh. I must have missed that one.
>> so:
>> static void* g_ptr;
>> is guaranteed to be nullptr? Just to clarify...
>> 
> Yes.

I would still recomend memset or bzero. You never know what is complient
or not - better to be safe then sorry.