diff --git a/include/wx/string.h b/include/wx/string.h
index bdd38c93a1..bd343a081d 100644
--- a/include/wx/string.h
+++ b/include/wx/string.h
@@ -80,16 +80,8 @@ class WXDLLIMPEXP_BASE wxString;
 // constants
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-#if defined(__VISAGECPP__) && __IBMCPP__ >= 400
-// must define this static for VA or else you get multiply defined symbols everywhere
-extern const unsigned int wxSTRING_MAXLEN;
-
-#else
 // maximum possible length for a string means "take all string" everywhere
-//  (as sizeof(StringData) is unknown here, we subtract 100)
-const unsigned int wxSTRING_MAXLEN = UINT_MAX - 100;
-
-#endif
+#define wxSTRING_MAXLEN wxStringBase::npos
 
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // global data
diff --git a/src/common/filefn.cpp b/src/common/filefn.cpp
index c33c44c174..0a2241edd8 100644
--- a/src/common/filefn.cpp
+++ b/src/common/filefn.cpp
@@ -361,17 +361,16 @@ void wxStripExtension(wxChar *buffer)
 
 void wxStripExtension(wxString& buffer)
 {
-  size_t len = buffer.Length();
-  size_t i = len-1;
-  while (i > 0)
-  {
-    if (buffer.GetChar(i) == wxT('.'))
+    //RN:  Be careful about the handling the case where 
+    //buffer.Length() == 0
+    for(size_t i = buffer.Length() - 1; i != wxString::npos; --i)
     {
-      buffer = buffer.Left(i);
-      break;
+        if (buffer.GetChar(i) == wxT('.'))
+        {
+          buffer = buffer.Left(i);
+          break;
+        }
     }
-    i --;
-  }
 }
 
 // Destructive removal of /./ and /../ stuff
diff --git a/src/common/string.cpp b/src/common/string.cpp
index 316e042182..6b21ca1b09 100644
--- a/src/common/string.cpp
+++ b/src/common/string.cpp
@@ -56,14 +56,9 @@
 // static class variables definition
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-#if defined(__VISAGECPP__) && __IBMCPP__ >= 400
-// must define this static for VA or else you get multiply defined symbols
-// everywhere
-const unsigned int wxSTRING_MAXLEN = UINT_MAX - 100;
-#endif // Visual Age
-
 #if !wxUSE_STL
-  const size_t wxStringBase::npos = wxSTRING_MAXLEN;
+  //According to STL _must_ be a -1 size_t
+  const size_t wxStringBase::npos = (size_t) -1;
 #endif
 
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------