extern before function prototypes does not have any effect. If it were a variable, it’d be needed to specify that the variable was declared somewhere else.

void noui_connect();

void noui_connect() {/*something*/}

^^^The compiler can easily find which is the prototype and which is the implementation of the same function. However,

// main.h
int a;
// main.c
#include "main.h"
int a = 5;
// util.c
#include "main.h"

^^^The compiler might create two symbols. One in main.c, one in util.c. To prevent creation of another variable, the extern keyword is used to leave the variable to the linker, the final step at compiling.

On the contrary, the function prototypes, not the implementations are put in header files, which are always left to the linker. Because that's the way function prototypes are designed, they don't need extern.

If you see extern before function prototypes, that's pure coding style, probably to be consistent with other extern variables.