I am unable to reproduce this with g++-4.8 (4.8.3-11). The code compiles and executes fine.
rajulocal@hogwarts:~/debian_bugs$ cat random.cpp #include <random> thread_local std::uniform_real_distribution<double> uniformDistribution_(0.0, 1.0); int main(int argc, char *argv[]) { return 0; } rajulocal@hogwarts:~/debian_bugs$ g++-4.8 -std=c++11 random.cpp rajulocal@hogwarts:~/debian_bugs$ ./a.out rajulocal@hogwarts:~/debian_bugs$ g++-4.8 --version g++-4.8 (Debian 4.8.3-11) 4.8.3 Copyright (C) 2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc. This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. regards raju -- Kamaraju S. Kusumanchi http://malayamaarutham.blogspot.com/