diff --git a/include/libbb.h b/include/libbb.h
index eee7d7dfa..86e88bf89 100644
--- a/include/libbb.h
+++ b/include/libbb.h
@@ -369,30 +369,30 @@ enum {	/* DO NOT CHANGE THESE VALUES!  cp.c depends on them. */
 
 extern const char *bb_applet_name;
 
-extern const char * const bb_msg_full_version;
-extern const char * const bb_msg_memory_exhausted;
-extern const char * const bb_msg_invalid_date;
-extern const char * const bb_msg_io_error;
-extern const char * const bb_msg_read_error;
-extern const char * const bb_msg_write_error;
-extern const char * const bb_msg_name_longer_than_foo;
-extern const char * const bb_msg_unknown;
-extern const char * const bb_msg_can_not_create_raw_socket;
-extern const char * const bb_msg_perm_denied_are_you_root;
-extern const char * const bb_msg_requires_arg;
-extern const char * const bb_msg_invalid_arg;
-extern const char * const bb_msg_standard_input;
-extern const char * const bb_msg_standard_output;
+extern const char bb_msg_full_version[];
+extern const char bb_msg_memory_exhausted[];
+extern const char bb_msg_invalid_date[];
+extern const char bb_msg_io_error[];
+extern const char bb_msg_read_error[];
+extern const char bb_msg_write_error[];
+extern const char bb_msg_name_longer_than_foo[];
+extern const char bb_msg_unknown[];
+extern const char bb_msg_can_not_create_raw_socket[];
+extern const char bb_msg_perm_denied_are_you_root[];
+extern const char bb_msg_requires_arg[];
+extern const char bb_msg_invalid_arg[];
+extern const char bb_msg_standard_input[];
+extern const char bb_msg_standard_output[];
 
-extern const char * const bb_path_nologin_file;
-extern const char * const bb_path_passwd_file;
-extern const char * const bb_path_shadow_file;
-extern const char * const bb_path_gshadow_file;
-extern const char * const bb_path_group_file;
-extern const char * const bb_path_securetty_file;
-extern const char * const bb_path_motd_file;
-extern const char * const bb_path_wtmp_file;
-extern const char * const bb_dev_null;
+extern const char bb_path_nologin_file[];
+extern const char bb_path_passwd_file[];
+extern const char bb_path_shadow_file[];
+extern const char bb_path_gshadow_file[];
+extern const char bb_path_group_file[];
+extern const char bb_path_securetty_file[];
+extern const char bb_path_motd_file[];
+extern const char bb_path_wtmp_file[];
+extern const char bb_dev_null[];
 
 #ifndef BUFSIZ
 #define BUFSIZ 4096
@@ -407,14 +407,14 @@ extern char bb_common_bufsiz1[BUFSIZ+1];
  */
 #define LIBBB_DEFAULT_LOGIN_SHELL      "-/bin/sh"
 
-extern const char * const bb_default_login_shell;
+extern const char bb_default_login_shell[];
 /* "/bin/sh" */
 #define DEFAULT_SHELL     (bb_default_login_shell+1)
 /* "sh" */
 #define DEFAULT_SHELL_SHORT_NAME     (bb_default_login_shell+6)
 
 
-extern char bb_path_mtab_file[];
+extern const char bb_path_mtab_file[];
 
 extern int bb_default_error_retval;
 
diff --git a/libbb/messages.c b/libbb/messages.c
index b6755058e..5aba7e693 100644
--- a/libbb/messages.c
+++ b/libbb/messages.c
@@ -13,97 +13,97 @@
 #else
 #define BANNER "BusyBox v" BB_VER " (" BB_EXTRA_VERSION ")"
 #endif
-const char BB_BANNER[]=BANNER;
-const char * const bb_msg_full_version = BANNER " multi-call binary";
+const char BB_BANNER[] = BANNER;
+const char bb_msg_full_version[] = BANNER " multi-call binary";
 #endif
 
 #ifdef L_memory_exhausted
-	const char * const bb_msg_memory_exhausted = "memory exhausted";
+	const char bb_msg_memory_exhausted[] = "memory exhausted";
 #endif
 #ifdef L_invalid_date
-	const char * const bb_msg_invalid_date = "invalid date `%s'";
+	const char bb_msg_invalid_date[] = "invalid date `%s'";
 #endif
 #ifdef L_io_error
-	const char * const bb_msg_io_error = "%s: input/output error -- %m";
+	const char bb_msg_io_error[] = "%s: input/output error -- %m";
 #endif
 #ifdef L_write_error
-	const char * const bb_msg_write_error = "Write Error";
+	const char bb_msg_write_error[] = "write error";
 #endif
 #ifdef L_read_error
-	const char * const bb_msg_read_error = "Read Error";
+	const char bb_msg_read_error[] = "read error";
 #endif
 #ifdef L_name_longer_than_foo
-	const char * const bb_msg_name_longer_than_foo = "Names longer than %d chars not supported.";
+	const char bb_msg_name_longer_than_foo[] = "names longer than %d chars not supported";
 #endif
 #ifdef L_unknown
-	const char * const bb_msg_unknown = "(unknown)";
+	const char bb_msg_unknown[] = "(unknown)";
 #endif
 #ifdef L_can_not_create_raw_socket
-	const char * const bb_msg_can_not_create_raw_socket = "can't create raw socket";
+	const char bb_msg_can_not_create_raw_socket[] = "can't create raw socket";
 #endif
 #ifdef L_perm_denied_are_you_root
-	const char * const bb_msg_perm_denied_are_you_root = "permission denied. (are you root?)";
+	const char bb_msg_perm_denied_are_you_root[] = "permission denied. (are you root?)";
 #endif
 #ifdef L_msg_requires_arg
-	const char * const bb_msg_requires_arg = "%s requires an argument";
+	const char bb_msg_requires_arg[] = "%s requires an argument";
 #endif
 #ifdef L_msg_invalid_arg
-	const char * const bb_msg_invalid_arg = "invalid argument `%s' to `%s'";
+	const char bb_msg_invalid_arg[] = "invalid argument `%s' to `%s'";
 #endif
 #ifdef L_msg_standard_input
-	const char * const bb_msg_standard_input = "standard input";
+	const char bb_msg_standard_input[] = "standard input";
 #endif
 #ifdef L_msg_standard_output
-	const char * const bb_msg_standard_output = "standard output";
+	const char bb_msg_standard_output[] = "standard output";
 #endif
 
 #ifdef L_passwd_file
 #define PASSWD_FILE        "/etc/passwd"
-const char * const bb_path_passwd_file = PASSWD_FILE;
+const char bb_path_passwd_file[] = PASSWD_FILE;
 #endif
 
 #ifdef L_shadow_file
 #define SHADOW_FILE        "/etc/shadow"
-const char * const bb_path_shadow_file = SHADOW_FILE;
+const char bb_path_shadow_file[] = SHADOW_FILE;
 #endif
 
 #ifdef L_group_file
 #define GROUP_FILE         "/etc/group"
-const char * const bb_path_group_file = GROUP_FILE;
+const char bb_path_group_file[] = GROUP_FILE;
 #endif
 
 #ifdef L_gshadow_file
 #define GSHADOW_FILE       "/etc/gshadow"
-const char * const bb_path_gshadow_file = GSHADOW_FILE;
+const char bb_path_gshadow_file[] = GSHADOW_FILE;
 #endif
 
 #ifdef L_nologin_file
 #define NOLOGIN_FILE       "/etc/nologin"
-const char * const bb_path_nologin_file = NOLOGIN_FILE;
+const char bb_path_nologin_file[] = NOLOGIN_FILE;
 #endif
 
 #ifdef L_securetty_file
 #define SECURETTY_FILE     "/etc/securetty"
-const char * const bb_path_securetty_file = SECURETTY_FILE;
+const char bb_path_securetty_file[] = SECURETTY_FILE;
 #endif
 
 #ifdef L_motd_file
 #define MOTD_FILE          "/etc/motd"
-const char * const bb_path_motd_file = MOTD_FILE;
+const char bb_path_motd_file[] = MOTD_FILE;
 #endif
 
 #ifdef L_shell_file
-const char * const bb_default_login_shell = LIBBB_DEFAULT_LOGIN_SHELL;
+const char bb_default_login_shell[] = LIBBB_DEFAULT_LOGIN_SHELL;
 #endif
 
 #ifdef L_bb_dev_null
-const char * const bb_dev_null = "/dev/null";
+const char bb_dev_null[] = "/dev/null";
 #endif
 
 #ifdef L_bb_path_wtmp_file
 #include <utmp.h>
 /* This is usually something like "/var/adm/wtmp" or "/var/log/wtmp" */
-const char * const bb_path_wtmp_file =
+const char bb_path_wtmp_file[] =
 #if defined _PATH_WTMP
 _PATH_WTMP;
 #elif defined WTMP_FILE
diff --git a/libbb/mtab_file.c b/libbb/mtab_file.c
index 92bd2394f..3181d6d58 100644
--- a/libbb/mtab_file.c
+++ b/libbb/mtab_file.c
@@ -13,5 +13,5 @@
 
 /* Busybox mount uses either /proc/mounts or /etc/mtab to
  * get the list of currently mounted filesystems */
-char bb_path_mtab_file[] =	USE_FEATURE_MTAB_SUPPORT("/etc/mtab")
-							SKIP_FEATURE_MTAB_SUPPORT("/proc/mounts");
+const char bb_path_mtab_file[] = USE_FEATURE_MTAB_SUPPORT("/etc/mtab")
+                                 SKIP_FEATURE_MTAB_SUPPORT("/proc/mounts");