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From: "Ronald F. Guilmette" <rfg@rahul.net>
Newsgroups: comp.std.c++
Subject: Re: A language feature or quirk ?
Date: 17 Mar 1995 09:44:40 GMT
Organization: a2i network
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Message-ID: <3kblm8$ndn@hustle.rahul.net>
References: <3k2tn6$jig@mozo.cc.purdue.edu>
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In article <3k2tn6$jig@mozo.cc.purdue.edu>,
Surya N Kavuri  <kavuri@lips.ecn.purdue.edu> wrote:
> 
> void Print(char *s) { cout << s; }
> 
>int main ()
>{
>  Print("Hello");  // compiles; not an error!
> 
>  const char* s = "Hello";
>  Print(s); // Compile time error as expected!
>  
>  cout << "What on earth is going on ?" << endl;
>  return 0;
>}

Character string literals (e.g. the first "Hello" above) have type char[]
which decays (almost immediately, and in most contexts) to type `char*'.

They DO NOT have type `const char[]' and thus they DO NOT decay into
type `const char*'.

The reason is historical, and is a matter of being backward compatible
with ANSI/ISO C.

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