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Archive with all recent tzdata releases? -- WAS: Version control? Changelog? ...
by Bryan J. Smith Jan. 5, 2007

Jan. 5, 2007

"Bryan J. Smith" <b.j.smith(a)ieee.org> wrote: > BTW, I did note this post: > http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.time.tz/1339 > Unfortunately the svn repository doesn't list changes. I'm used to > running "svn+trac" myself, which does a good, basic job of showing > version-to-version changes. Unfortunately I don't run a public > server myself anymore (just not enough time). Aw screw that, I'll just generate the Trac pages and then save them as a set of static HTML pages (in a tarball). As such, does anyone have an archive with all recent tzdata releases? I noted the PlanetMirror FTP site, but it only goes back to 2006b: ftp://ftp.planetmirror.com/pub/timezone/ I'd like to go further back, at least to early 2005, if not 2004. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith(a)ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com -------------------------------------------------- Fission Power: An Inconvenient Solution

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Version control? Changelog? Good list of regions/paths aligning with US DST changes?
by Bryan J. Smith Jan. 4, 2007

Jan. 4, 2007

I know this is a tall order. Not looking for anyone to fill it either. I can do my own research, so pointers are always recommended. If I've overlooked this info on the TZ page, my apologies, just [re]point me to it. - Is there a version control repository for zoneinfo? - Or a changelog of any corrections/additions? More to the point, I'm looking for a good list of any regions/zoneinfo paths that are aligning their changes with the US DST changes. I noted several were announced in 2006. I hope I'm not the only schmuck out there trying to track this. I'm hoping someone else has such a list, a blog, etc... If not, I might blog myself, even if it's just a tiny subset and focuses only on the US changes (and ripples from it) going into effect for 2007. Even longer story short, I'm tracking a number of embedded solutions and their tzdata (or lackthereof) updates. Just looking for a good authority on any and all tzdata changes since the 2005 legislation for the 2007 change. E.g., Red Hat has several errata for its tzdata package: - RHEA-2005:655-7: USA, Australia, Haiti, Nicaragua ... - RHEA-2006:0213-7: join US DST change, Canada, Indiana/USA ... - RHEA-2006:0277-7: Sri Lanka - RHEA-2006:0745-3: Western Australia DST But embedded developers like Montavista** only released 1 change (possibly not addressing Canada, etc...): - Fix 15446 (2005Nov): NA timezone file to include the latest DST Ultimately I'm trying to come up with a test plan to verify updates for all major financial/trading regions where our equipment runs. I think I can safely ignore the Indiana changes, etc..., and stick with major regions. -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith(a)ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com -------------------------------------------------- Fission Power: An Inconvenient Solution

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Re: Version control? Changelog? Good list of regions/paths aligning with US DST changes?
by Bryan J. Smith Jan. 4, 2007

Jan. 4, 2007

"Bryan J. Smith" <b.j.smith(a)ieee.org> wrote: > I know this is a tall order. Not looking for anyone to fill it > either. I can do my own research, so pointers are always > recommended. If I've overlooked this info on the TZ page, my > apologies, just [re]point me to it. > - Is there a version control repository for zoneinfo? > - Or a changelog of any corrections/additions? BTW, I did note this post: http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.time.tz/1339 Unfortunately the svn repository doesn't list changes. I'm used to running "svn+trac" myself, which does a good, basic job of showing version-to-version changes. Unfortunately I don't run a public server myself anymore (just not enough time). Thanx again for any assistance, links or pointers anyone can provide! -- Bryan J. Smith Professional, Technical Annoyance b.j.smith(a)ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com -------------------------------------------------- Fission Power: An Inconvenient Solution

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RE: Istanbul,Turkey needs time zone rule update
by Olson, Arthur David (NIH/NCI) [E] Jan. 3, 2007

Jan. 3, 2007

I'm forwarding this message from Amar Devegowda, who is not on the time zone mailing list. Those of you who are on the time zone mailing list should direct replies appropriately. --ado ________________________________ From: Amar Devegowda [mailto:ADEVEGOW@in.ibm.com] Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 1:15 PM To: Olson, Arthur David (NIH/NCI) [E] Subject: Istanbul,Turkey needs time zone rule update Hi, This is Amar Devegowda from IBM India Software Labs. I sent this mail to tz(a)lecserver.nci.nih.gov couple of times and got bounced and now I am sending it directly to you. I downloaded the tzdata2006p.tar.gz and found that the time zone rules for Istanbul, Turkey (File name: europe in tzdata2006p.tar.gz) are outdated. The time zone rules for Istanbul, Turkey have not been changed for years now. It seems like that it was last updated in year 1985 or so. The latest rules are available at - http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/timezone.html?n=107 We have customers reporting problems to us stating that our Java has got outdated time zone rules for Istanbul, Turkey. Hence, could you please update the time zone database with the new rules for Istanbul, Turkey ? Thanks in advance. Regards, Amar Amar Devegowda Java L3 Support for Windows, Java Technology Center, IBM India Software Labs, Bangalore, India Telephone 91-80-25094423

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Re: proposed tz changes for Bahamas, Eucla, Eritrea, Faroe
by Paul Eggert Jan. 3, 2007

Jan. 3, 2007

"Dave O'Callaghan" <daveoc(a)uk.ibm.com> writes: > For example, because of lack of time (we couldn't wait) we took the > W.Australia patch and applied it to tzdata2006n (calling the new version > tzdata2006o (we hadn't previously shipped your 'o' version). Then we had > customers asking for the 'p' version thinking that is what they needed for > W. Australia. In the future I suggest that you append a prefix (e.g., tzdata2006n-ibm1) rather than guessing what the next official data will look like. > Many thanks to you both for your time and attention to this (it seems to > be a never ending journey) There are four things sure in life: death, taxes, politics, and time zone rule changes.

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The Bahamas has changed DST rules
by Sue Williams Jan. 2, 2007

Jan. 2, 2007

The Bahamas announced about a month ago that they plan to change their DST rules to sinc with the U.S. starting in 2007. The attached fax was provided by the Bahama Cabinet office. I was also able to find a corresponding newpaper announcement in the Bahama Journal dated 30 October 2006. http://www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=10412 _____________________________ Susan J Williams Program Director, IBM Globalization Leadership Team, Globalization Requirements _____________________________

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RE: Question about "only" RULE lines
by David Braverman Dec. 30, 2006

Dec. 30, 2006

> it's the last ... rule in effect, which is 1919 Oct > lastSun at 2:00, i.e., standard time. Thank you. That part wasn't clear from the docs. > You can debug your understanding by using the command > "zdump -v America/Chicago". Well, actually I can't, since I'm stuck using Wintel systems. And while I can read C at about the level that most 13-year-olds read Hebrew (and for almost exactly the same reasons), I had some difficulty getting through the raw zdump.c code. Any tips for compiling it using MSVC? I'm a little out of my depth here.

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Mataveri only airport?
by Jesper Norgaard Welen Dec. 27, 2006

Dec. 27, 2006

Acording to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Islands the real capital of Easter Island is not Mataveri, but Hanga Roa, where most people of Easter Island live. Mataveri is famous for the Mataveri International Airport. Should we change the capital in the tz database? Luckily the timezone involved is called "Pacific/Easter" so there is no problem with that. It seems that only the explicit use of Mataveri Mean Time MMT and the commentary in the southamerica file is affected. Perhaps the latitude and longitude coordinates in zone.tab. Regards, - Jesper Jesper Nørgaard Welen Email: jnorgard(a)Prodigy.Net.mx Project Leader (Líder de Proyecto) Software CIMMYT - Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo Dirección: CIMMYT Int. c/o Jesper Nørgaard Km. 45, Carretera México-Veracruz El Batán Texcoco, Edo. de México CP 56130 MEXICO Tel.: +52 (55) 58-04-20-04 ext. 1374 Fax: +52 (55) 58-04-75-58 Tel. Casa: 53-10-05-95 ó 53-10-97-78 Download the shareware program World Time Explorer, I made: http://www.worldtimeexplorer.com/index.html

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Re: Question about "only" RULE lines
by Paul Eggert Dec. 26, 2006

Dec. 26, 2006

"David Braverman" <david(a)inner-drive.com> writes: > ... > Rule US 1918 1919 - Oct lastSun 2:00 0 S > Rule US 1942 only - Feb 9 2:00 1:00 W # War > Rule US 1945 only - Aug 14 23:00u 1:00 P # Peace > Rule US 1945 only - Sep 30 2:00 0 S > ... > I can't tell what rule to follow from 1942-01-01 to 1942-02-19, then > from 1943-01-01 to 1945-08-14. I'd say it's the last US rule in effect, which is 1919 Oct lastSun at 2:00, i.e., standard time. You can debug your understanding by using the command "zdump -v America/Chicago".

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Chile DST history
by Jesper Norgaard Welen Dec. 26, 2006

Dec. 26, 2006

In 2006o, a number of changes were implemented in the tz database for Chile and Easter Island and the Palmer station. One of the changes follows here: - -7:00 Chile EAS%sT 1982 Mar 13 21:00 # Easter I Time + -7:00 Chile EAS%sT 1982 Jan 18 21:00 # Easter I Time This was based on my data sent earlier, that origins from the page http://www.horaoficial.htm where it says (my translation) * By Supreme Decree No. 61, of 19.th. of January, the decree No. 1.142 of 20.th. October 1980 is modified, assigning the time GMT-6 to the Easter Islands and Salas and Gómez, this way there will be a permanent difference of 2 hours between the Chile mainland and these islands. However, in those times most decrees were issued much before the actual changes took place and I think this would also be the case here. Checking www.astro.com with Mataveri, it shows Easter Island on "6 h west, Daylight Time" on 12.th. of March 1982, but on "6 h west, Standard Time" on 14.th. of March 1982" in my interpretation GMT-6 in both cases, but the first while being on DST. My recommendation is therefore simply to revert this change, and setting the transition time back to 13.th. of March 1982 at 21:00. Regards, - Jesper Jesper Nørgaard Welen Email: jnorgard(a)Prodigy.Net.mx Project Leader (Líder de Proyecto) Software CIMMYT - Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo Dirección: CIMMYT Int. c/o Jesper Nørgaard Km. 45, Carretera México-Veracruz El Batán Texcoco, Edo. de México CP 56130 MEXICO Tel.: +52 (55) 58-04-20-04 ext. 1374 Fax: +52 (55) 58-04-75-58 Tel. Casa: 53-10-05-95 ó 53-10-97-78 Download the shareware program World Time Explorer, I made: http://www.worldtimeexplorer.com/index.html

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updating oracle
by Anibal de Deus Dec. 22, 2006

Dec. 22, 2006

Is there any way to use the TZ database to update Oracle timezone DAT file?

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Fun --- someone thinks there're only 24 timezones
by Bennett Todd Dec. 22, 2006

Dec. 22, 2006

<URL:http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/11/30/10086170.html> (which I found via slashdot -> wired) describes a building, and mentions: [...] the company plans to build 23 more rotating towers in each of the world's time zones with finance provided by investors linked to the company. Maybe we should give 'em the bad news, they're gonna need a lot more than 23 more towers. One for that research station in the boonies of Australia? :-) -Bennett

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Re: Predictable problems with 3-character time zones, especially the EST/EST5EDT split.
by Paul Eggert Dec. 20, 2006

Dec. 20, 2006

John Stainforth <STAIN(a)uk.ibm.com> writes: > Our understanding is that: > > a) Before tzdata2005r... "EST" refers to the zone that is GMT-5 in Winter > and GMT-4 in Summer, then .... > b) Effective from tzdata2005r, "EST" refers only to some special area(s) > within the Eastern region that are GMT-5 all the year round. That sounds right as far as Java is concerned. But it's not a property of tzdata, it's a property of Java. As far as the tz database is concerned, TZ="EST" has never given you daylight-saving time. Here's the history. Before tzdata2005m, there was no TZ="EST" in the tz database. But we had a desire to support the old 1980s System V TZ names, "EST" being one of them, where "EST" was used in Indiana and meant eastern time with no daylight saving. I don't now recall why we were so focused on being backward-compatible with a long-dead system, but hey! we try hard to be backward-compatible. So, in tzdata2005m through tzdata2005q, TZ="EST" was implemented as an alias for America/Panama in the "backward" file, under the theory that Panama has observed UTC-5 since standard time was introduced in 1908. But this isn't satisfactory, as it mishandles time stamps before 1908, and maybe Panama will observe DST some day. So in tzdata2005r "EST" was given a zone in its own right, in the "northamerica" file. I suspect Java picked "EST" up only in 2005r because Java ignores the "backward" file. In retrospect perhaps we should have omitted these System V names, as they're now causing more trouble with Java than they're worth. Or perhaps we should move them to the "systemv" file now. But that is Arthur's call. >From the Java point of view, I would simply remove all the System V names from Java. I don't see the point of them; they just cause trouble. That is, I would pretend that the following entries don't exist in the "northamerica" file, so that you can continue with the traditional Java interpretation for them. # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone EST -5:00 - EST Zone MST -7:00 - MST Zone HST -10:00 - HST Zone EST5EDT -5:00 US E%sT Zone CST6CDT -6:00 US C%sT Zone MST7MDT -7:00 US M%sT Zone PST8PDT -8:00 US P%sT

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Re: Predictable problems with 3-character time zones, especially the EST/EST5EDT split.
by Paul Eggert Dec. 19, 2006

Dec. 19, 2006

John Stainforth <STAIN(a)uk.ibm.com> writes: > http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=3068&context=SSNVBF&uid=swg2125… Weird. That URL claims Indiana does not observe daylight saving time, but it does (starting this year). > http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=6466476 which contains > the assertion: "This means that all legacy Applets and applications which > used EST before are now broken". This is all news to me. But it appears to be an issue with Java's old names for time zones, not with the Olson database per se. So you'll have to resolve it at the Java level. You might just want to do what Sun is doing in JDK 7, and add a compatibility mode flag. Set the flag one way, and you get the traditional Java behavior where "EST" means eastern time with daylight saving (did it really mean that? wow, that's confusing). Set the flag the other way, and "EST" means eastern time without daylight saving (which is the traditional real-world meaning in this country, and is the traditional Olson interpretation as well). Perhaps you can ask Sun exactly how that flag will work, and how it will affect "HST", "MST", "PST", etc. I'll CC: this message to the tz list to see whether others have noticed the problem.

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zone and offset designators
by LIVINGSTON Alex Dec. 19, 2006

Dec. 19, 2006

Original version sent 2006 December 09 23:22:04 GMT+11:00, but did not make it to list. I have modified it (including the subject) slightly since then. I am not in favour of alphabetic abbreviations as designators of time zones or time offsets. First, their role is not well defined. Do they apply to A: a geographic region and its entire time-offset history and future, B: a particular single offset from UTC/GMT, or C: a particular set of two or more offsets from UTC/GMT and "rules" describing when changes from one of these offsets to another occur? Second, there seems to be no requirement for them to be globally or historically unique. I would support designators of the following kinds: O-1: a numeric specification of a single offset from UTC/GMT (e.g. "-04:00") Z-1: a specification applying to a point on the earth's surface and indicating the entire history (and expected future history) of the time kept at that point by nearby human beings, as in the tz database (as I understand it) Actually, I might also consent to: O-1A: a numeric specification of two (or more) offsets from UTC/GMT that apply periodically (e.g. "+10:00/+11:00"), though preferably only if such a specifier is unique in the context it is used in (+10:00/+11:00 applies both to Tasmania and mainland southeast Australia, but the two regions change from +10:00 to +11:00 at different times at present, so using that label for a time-specification offset as things currently stand would not be ideal unless it were clear from the context which changeover dates and times applied) and Z-1A: a specification applying to a well-defined, invariant region of the earth's surface and indicating the entire history (and expected future history) of the time kept by human beings occupying that region In the headings I've used to name these types of designator, the "O" indicates applicability to offsets and "Z" indicates primary applicability to zones. However, a Z (zone) designator could also be applied to an offset, in which case it means the offset that applies in that zone (which in the case of Z-1 is a point, not a region). Type O-1 is by far the easiest to work with, and perfectly adequate for many single-instant specifications. Only if (1) a period of time (including possibly a single date) or a repeating scheduled event is to be specified for a particular geographic location or (2) the offset that will apply is not yet known with adequate certainty, as it is tied to yet-to-be-finalised conventions for a particular place, might a single offset not be up to the task. (Have I missed any?) If it is judged that a zone designator for a time specification cannot be avoided, we have the problem of what time is applicable for the period (an hour in the majority of cases) after clocks are retarded, when times that have already passed in the zone are repeated. My only suggestion of what to do about this is to establish a convention that, in the absence of indication to the contrary, the second occurrence of the time specified should be assumed. There is also, of course, the related problem of what to do if a time is specified that never occurs in a zone, because it is skipped over when clocks are advanced. What else could be done besides taking such a specification to mean the instant of the changeover? If some apparent standard or official abbreviated designator is not clear, a lot of effort seems to be put into crafting a "suitable" one for the field labelled (for reasons that aren't all that clear to me) "FORMAT" in the tzdata files. I get the impression that people derive a sense of security from the authority and credibility supposedly lent to time specifications by such labels. Only it is a false sense of security, I would contend. These abbreviations seem to be seized upon by implementors of time-management software as though "official" and indispensable and to be used wherever plausible. I would like to see such enthusiasm diverted to the use, instead, of far less ambiguous and far more informative and helpful designators (like type O-1 especially). I might also add my vehement objection to using numbers derived from time offsets to label zones when the offset indicated by the number does not always apply. An example of this is "EST5EDT". Using offsets to label zones seems from my experience to be almost standard practice in time-related software, but it is grossly misleading when, as is very often the case, the indicated offset simply does not apply for part, indeed sometimes the majority, of the year. If numeric designators of such zones _must_ be used, then _both_ (or all, should there ever be more than two) offsets should be indicated (with equal emphasis). I would, as well, completely avoid the use of the term "standard" to distinguish one of two (or more) offsets that apply in a given zone. It may sometimes be a designation given by a relevant authority, but it is by no means always used, and it is a very poor choice for a generic designation of the less advanced of two offsets that apply at a particular location, since it is far from clear that a standard exists from which the offset that applies could be unambiguously inferred. I think any attempt at pinning down a particular offset as "standard" for a place or region based on longitude should be abandoned. Exceptions - cases of times being kept that deviate considerably from what one would expect (if it is clear at all) given the longitude - are not rare but abundant. Let me list some: the Aleutians, Alaska, Argentina, the Azores, Iceland, Madeira, the Canary Islands, Spain and France, peninsula Malaysia and Singapore, central Australia, parts of far-eastern Russia, the Chatham Islands, and, of course, though not true of the zone as a whole, western China. The term "standard" is applicable to whatever offset is being observed: it is the standard set by those (in authority) observing it (and their subjects). I suggest the terms "basis" and "advanced" instead as generic distinguishers of the two offsets that are periodically observed at any particular location (the latter applying to the offset that is "ahead"), though "winter" and "summer" are also not bad, except that "summer" cannot be unambiguously abbreviated to "S". "Advanced" and "Basis" have the pleasing property of having initials "A" and "B", "A" time being ahead of "B" time. Should more than two offsets ever annually apply to a zone, subsequent letters of the alphabet could be used to distinguish them. I hope I haven't strayed into territory outside the purview of this list.

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Parliamentary Library research note on Australian DST
by Paul Eggert Dec. 16, 2006

Dec. 16, 2006

Last week the Parliamentary Library of Australia issued a research note on daylight saving time in Austrlia. <http://www.aph.gov.au/LIBRARY/Pubs/rn/2006-07/07rn13.pdf>. Of some note: "EST" is listed before "AEST", and similarly for "CST" and "WST", so this is some semiofficial sanction for the abbreviations the tz database uses. The note mentions Eucla time, giving Wikipedia as the reference! (So much for the Australian Parliament being authoritative on the subject of Australian time zones....) It has a strange copyright notice: Except to the extent of the uses permitted under the Copyright Act of 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means including information storage and retrieval systems, without the prior written concent of the Department of Parliamentary Services, other than by senators and members of the Australian Parliemant in the course of their official duties. This makes it sound like I didn't have permission to download it off the net, but perhaps I should just ascribe this strange wording to hyperactive Australian copyright lawyers.

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Australia - Broken Hill - Yancowinna
by Oscar van Vlijmen Dec. 16, 2006

Dec. 16, 2006

Broken Hill, or more precise, the whole county of Yancowinna, differs from the rest of New South Wales, as clearly stated in the TZ database. Problem is: what is the "county of Yancowinna"? The Australian Standard Time Act 1987 mentions this county, but doesn't mention the county boundaries. Once they were known, but they have disappeared from recent maps. Finally I found a scan of an old map from the Land Registry, showing the Yancowinna county. Found on the website of The Sydney Morning Herald: <http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/29/1062050651816.html?oneclick=true> Click on field number 2 or download the map directly: <http://www.smh.com.au/specials/leases/pdf/map2.pdf> The following places are within the county boundaries: Broken Hill, The Gorge, Mount Gipps, Silverton, Stephens Creek, Wahratta, Yanco Glen. The name "Wahratta" is not perfectly readable from the map, but I've checked the name and location against the Australia file from the GEOnet Names Server <http://earth-info.nga.mil/gns/> Oscar van Vlijmen 2005-04-23

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RE: tz news from Galicia, Queensland and (of course) Indiana
by Phillip Guerra Dec. 14, 2006

Dec. 14, 2006

What a story! I wish the world would standardize, it would ease the technical issues with my time machine (The Vortal). I can't go back and forth in time for fear I'd land someplace in the moment when I shouldn't. Now, I have to just 'wing' it, and there have been a lot of close calls, I can tell you. I can also tell you that it won't happen any time soon. ;) -----Original Message----- From: Eric Muller [mailto:emuller@adobe.com] Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 2:53 AM To: tz(a)lecserver.nci.nih.gov Cc: tz(a)lecserver.nci.nih.gov Subject: Re: tz news from Galicia, Queensland and (of course) Indiana Paul Eggert wrote: > The Budd Insurance Agency has a special clock with one minute hand but > two hour hands, one for each time zone: David Budd says that the clock > shows "Pulaski Time". > What about a clock with 12 hour hands and 4(?) minute hands (the "World Time" clock)? Eric. Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s), and may contain privileged or confidential information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by replying to this email, and destroy all copies of the original message.

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tz news from Galicia, Queensland and (of course) Indiana
by Paul Eggert Dec. 12, 2006

Dec. 12, 2006

The Galician nationalist party BNG voted on December 4 to move Galicia into the same time zone as Portugal and the UK. The other parties disagree, though. See <http://www.santiago-today.com/index.php?q=04-dec-2006-galician_nationalist_…> (2006-12-04). Queensland is considering holding a referendum on daylight saving early next year. The idea is that the southeast corner would observe DST. However, they haven't decided yet whether Toowoomba and half of Cooloola shire fall into that southeast corner. See <http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Qld-to-study-daylight-saving-early-2007…>. The Democrats have regained control of the Indiana House and are pushing for a "nonbinding" referendum on daylight saving time for Indiana. Republicans seem firmly in the pro-daylight-saving camp. See Dan Shaw's story in the Journal and Courier <http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061109/ELECTION01/6110…>. Tom Wyatt of the Post-Tribune reports that the citizens of Pulaski county, Indiana have mostly voted with their feet for eastern time, and it's likely this will become official soon. Because the federal government threatened to cut off funds if the county did not observe central time while central time is official, government offices all observe central time. However, they've moved their hours to be consistent with eastern time. For example, the post office is now open 07:30/15:30 central time, whereas it used to be open 08:30/16:30. The school district observes eastern time but calls it "Commerce Time" so that they won't run afoul of the feds. Many businesses (e.g., the 1st Source Bank) use eastern time, but some (e.g., Ed's Barbershop) use central time. The Budd Insurance Agency has a special clock with one minute hand but two hour hands, one for each time zone: David Budd says that the clock shows "Pulaski Time". See <http://www.post-trib.com/news/150389,winamac.article> (2006-11-27).

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time-zone designators
by LIVINGSTON Alex Dec. 9, 2006

Dec. 9, 2006

I am not in favour of alphabetic abbreviations as designators of time zones. First, their role is not well defined. Do they apply to A: a geographic region and its entire time-offset history and future, B: a particular single offset from UTC/GMT, or C: a particular set of two or more offsets from UTC/GMT and "rules" describing when changes from one of these offsets to another occur? Second, there seems to be no requirement for them to be globally or historically unique. I would support two types of time-offset designation: 1: a numeric specification of a single offset from UTC/GMT (e.g. -04:00) 2: a specification applying to a point on the earth's surface and indicating the entire history (and expected future history) of the time kept at that point by nearby human beings, as in the tz database (as I understand it) Actually, I might also consent to: 1A: a numeric specification of two (or more) offsets from UTC/GMT that apply periodically (e.g. +10:00/11:00), though only if such a specifier is unique in the context it is used in (+10:00/+11:00 applies both to Tasmania and mainland southeast Australia, but the two regions change from +10:00 to +11:00 at different times at present, so using that label for a zone as things currently stand would not be on) 2A: a specification applying to a well-defined, invariant region of the earth's surface and indicating the entire history (and expected future history) of the time kept by human beings occupying that region Type 1 is by far the easiest to work with, and perfectly adequate for single-instant specifications. Only if, for a particular geographic location, a period of time (including possibly a single date) or a repeating scheduled event is to be specified might a single offset not be up to the task. If some apparent standard abbreviated designator is not clear, a lot of effort seems to be put into crafting a "suitable" one for the field labelled (for reasons that aren't all that clear to me) "FORMAT" in the tzdata files. I get the impression that people derive a sense of security from the authority and credibility supposedly lent to time specifications by such labels. Only it is a false sense of security, I would contend. These abbreviations seem to be seized upon by implementors of time-management software as though "official" and indispensable and to be appended enthusiastically to time specifications. I would like to see such enthusiasm diverted to the use, instead, of far less ambiguous and far more informative and helpful designators (like type 1 especially). (I realise now that I have somewhat conflated time zones with time specifications. I don't think my comments are affected that much by this.) I hope I haven't strayed into territory outside the purview of this list.

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FW: time in southeastern Western Australia
by Olson, Arthur David (NIH/NCI) [E] Dec. 8, 2006

Dec. 8, 2006

I'm forwarding this message from Alex Livingston who, since sending it, has subscribed to the time zone mailing list. --ado -----Original Message----- From: LIVINGSTON Alex [mailto:lial@mac.com] Sent: Friday, December 08, 2006 1:03 AM To: tz(a)lecserver.nci.nih.gov Subject: re: time in southeastern Western Australia Further to my previous message, here is a link to a picture of the sign I referred to: http://www.confluence.org/photo.php?visitid=10280&pic=7 It shows that my memory did not serve me perfectly.

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re: time in southeastern Western Australia
by LIVINGSTON Alex Dec. 8, 2006

Dec. 8, 2006

Further to my previous message, here is a link to a picture of the sign I referred to: http://www.confluence.org/photo.php?visitid=10280&pic=7 It shows that my memory did not serve me perfectly.

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time in southeastern Western Australia
by LIVINGSTON Alex Dec. 8, 2006

Dec. 8, 2006

Apologies if this has already been covered. I checked the latest tzdata file and there seems to be no mention of it. I have been meaning to write this for nearly four years; it was just on four years ago that I drove along the Eyre Highway, which passes through eastern Western Australia close to the southern coast of the continent. I paid particular attention to the time kept there. There can be no dispute that UTC+08:45 was considered "the time" from the border village just inside the border with South Australia to as far west as just east of Caiguna. There can also be no dispute that Eucla is the largest population centre in this zone, having a population of "40 or 50" (from memory what the proprietor of the roadhouse said when I asked him); it even has named side streets off the highway, and a very modern meteorological observatory and office. The other settlements, Cocklebiddy, Madura, Mundrabilla, and the border village, have much smaller permanent populations (around a dozen at most). So if a new zone were to be added to the tz database it should be called "Australia/Eucla". To back up my assertions I was going to refer to photographs I took of the three clocks at the border crossing (showing, Perth, local, and Adelaide time, respectively) and of the clearly "official" sign (galvanised-steel posts and frame, well-cut rectangular sheet-metal plate with rounded corners, stencilled lettering, and reflective paint) proclaiming "Central Western Time" that is seen just after leaving Caiguna heading east, but I have not published them yet and I do not have the time to check them now. (I think the sign also says, in smaller lettering, "Advance Clocks 45 Minutes".) This zone is also shown on the excellent map at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Timezones_optimized.png (obviously based on the CIA time-zone map). "Central Western Time" is mentioned in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_zone, where an estimated population for this region of 200 (according with what I would have guessed) is also given. (Unfortunately the phrase "Western Central Standard Time" is used in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Australia to refer to the same thing.) Now that Western Australia is observing daylight saving, the question arose whether this part of the state would follow suit. I just called the border village [+61 (0)8 9039-3474; from online white pages] and confirmed that indeed they have, meaning that they are now observing UTC+09:45. There is one more curiosity to report about this isolated part of the world. The old Eyre telegraph station, just behind the coastal sand dunes southeast of Cocklebiddy, is now run as a bird observatory as well as a weather station and guest house. Its permanent population is 2 (a caretaker couple). I stayed there for a night on my way through and noticed that they kept a time different both from Perth and "the highway" (phrase used by caretaker; see below); they have a clock in their kitchen with a Dymo label on it stating "Eyre Std. Time" (I took a picture). It was UT+09:00, meaning a whole hour ahead of Perth, making their checking and reporting of weather data (which the Perth weather bureau expects to be done according to Perth time) simpler. I have just called them [+61 (0)8 9039-3450, also from online white pages], and they too have advanced their clocks with the rest of the state, putting them on UTC+10:00 and maintaining their one-hour difference from Perth. As far as I'm concerned this warrants another time zone, Australia/Eyre, despite the tiny permanent population! I seem to remember that what matters to this list is what time people actually keep, not statutory status. I hope the hour or two I've spent preparing and writing this turns out to be of some value.

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Oddness in file interpretation - I assume I am missing something...
by Philip Warner Dec. 6, 2006

Dec. 6, 2006

The current files have the following zone & rules: Freetown Zone Africa/Freetown -0:53:00 - LMT 1882 -0:53:00 - FMT 1913 Jun # Freetown Mean Time -1:00 SL %s 1957 0:00 SL %s Rule SL 1935 1942 - Oct 1 0:00 0 WAT Rule SL 1957 1962 - Jun 1 0:00 1:00 SLST Rule SL 1957 1962 - Sep 1 0:00 0 GMT And zic produces, among others, the following transition: Africa/Freetown Sun Jun 1 00:52:59 1913 UTC = Sat May 31 23:59:59 1913 FMT isdst=0 Africa/Freetown Sun Jun 1 00:53:00 1913 UTC = Sat May 31 23:53:00 1913 WAT isdst=0 The problem/question I have is: based on the above rules, it is not at all clear to me that Sat May 31 23:53:00 1913 should be designated 'WAT'; in fact I would have thought there would be a case for it being 'FMT' since none if the 'SL' rules apply in 1913. This is further complicated by the following rules & zones: Zone Africa/Algiers 0:12:12 - LMT 1891 Mar 15 0:01 0:09:21 - PMT 1911 Mar 11 # Paris Mean Time 0:00 Algeria WE%sT 1940 Feb 25 2:00 1:00 Algeria CE%sT 1946 Oct 7 Rule Algeria 1916 only - Jun 14 23:00s 1:00 S Rule Algeria 1916 1919 - Oct Sun>=1 23:00s 0 - which for the transition in 1911 produces 'WET'; apparently *not* using the 'S' from the first rule. And this set: Zone Africa/Accra -0:00:52 - LMT 1918 0:00 Ghana %s Rule Ghana 1936 1942 - Sep 1 0:00 0:20 GHST Rule Ghana 1936 1942 - Dec 31 0:00 0 GMT which produces 'GMT' for the transition in 1918. Can someone confirm that zic is doing the right thing (which I kind of assume it is by definition), and perhaps give me a rule to follow when performing the %s substitutions? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Africa/Asmera / Africa/Asmara
by Klaus Klein Dec. 5, 2006

Dec. 5, 2006

Feedback from one of our users, forwarded with permission. I've checked with the usual suspects (i.e., diplomatic services' web sites), which confirm the Asmara spelling. - Klaus ----- Forwarded message from Zafer Aydogan <zafer(a)aydogan.de> ----- the city name of Asmera has changed to Asmara. Shall we update the name in the zoneinfo file ? /usr/share/zoneinfo/Africa/ Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asmera Zafer. ----- End forwarded message -----

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