Mainly because variable declarations are "backwards" in C. People try to read code left to right, but C declarations should be read right to left. Pile one things like the dual use of the static keyword, typedefs, and having multiple consts in a declaration figuring out the type of a variable can be a real chore. Dan Saks has a great article that hits on just the issues with const. http://dansaks.com/articles/1998-06%20Placing%20const%20in%2...