December 2011 - tz - lists.iana.org

User time zones
by Steven Abner Dec. 7, 2011

Dec. 7, 2011

Howdy, I could use some input. I have a different database, lots of reasons for it, which has the attached file as part of the database. I am not an international person, nor is my code yet patented, since the big corps won't take this seriously unless it is. This file was created out of necessity for implementation of operating system functions and a bridge between user and your database, or so I think. Even if you think my thoughts on the intro are invalid, please respond. My initial intent was to submit this for you all to use, but I have already assumed that it will be rejected, the norm! So please, any international users fell free to make suggestive comments. I am in the process of trying to fully automate the list generation, have to hand work some. It has been tested for the strptime(), getdate() and strftime() functions and found not lacking. Of course, this is from test cases I have to think up, since none of the functions I have tested can handle time zones. I am still testing, and re-evaluting for debug-ability and optimizations, so this is not set in concrete. If tz peoples would like to adopt this file, cool! The zic compiler will handle, but your file retrieval will probably need to be altered some. Can't help you there, sorry, different system. There are some notes in the file. In particular this could sate those that aren't fond of the Australia zones and may make Indonesian peoples happy. It addresses, hopefully, French, German and Brazilian peoples too. Off list input also accepted. Steve pheonix(a)zoomtown.com

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Converting from individual cities/states/country names to Windows time zone names
by Daniel White Dec. 6, 2011

Dec. 6, 2011

Hi all, I'm creating a software calculator project, and I'd like my users to be able to convert between time zones using what they're familiar with: country, or city/ state names. So I need to convert from these places to the corresponding Windows time zone, and have been looking for a database online to do so, without success. What I have been able to find is a way to convert from TZID (Olsen) to Windows timezone IDs using this URL: http://unicode.org/repos/cldr-tmp/trunk/diff/supplemental/zone_tzid.html So maybe there's a database which maps all the places of the world to TZID, and then I would use a two-step process instead of one. Any help would be much appreciated. When I say 'database', even just a HTML page would do, and then I can extract the right info.

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Fw: Converting from individual cities/states/country names to Windows time zone names
by yoshito_umaoka＠us.ibm.com Dec. 6, 2011

Dec. 6, 2011

> 4) Out of date data > > You may want to map Belarus to (UTC+02:00) Minsk. However, Minsk > (Belarus) is currently using UTC+03:00/no DST. > Microsoft suggests Windows users in Belarus to use (UTC+03:00) > Kakiningrad for now [http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2625508] > BTW, I found Microsoft has already published the update on November 22 [ http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2633952] For this specific instance, display name "(UTC+02:00) Minsk" was changed to "(UTC+02:00) Nicosia", then display name of "(UTC+03:00) Kaliningrad" was changed to "(UTC+03:00) Kaliningrad, Minsk". -Yoshito

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What license IANA is intending to distribute the timezone database under, BSD or public domain
by Fake name Dec. 4, 2011

Dec. 4, 2011

I hope this forum is the correct place to ask this question. This question is intended for the people at IANA. I work for NetApp, and would like to know what license IANA is intending to distribute the timezone database under, BSD or public domain? BSD is referenced in some of the documentation, but in the past people were assuming this was in the public domain until the lawsuit occurred. Thank you in advance for your answer.

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Re: [tz] Rule ChileAQ in antarctica
by Glenn Eychaner Dec. 3, 2011

Dec. 3, 2011

On Dec 2, 2011, at 9:37 PM, tz-request(a)iana.org wrote: > Zone Antarctica/Palmer is currently defined as - > [...] > The comment mentions that Palmer station keeps the same time as Punta > Arenas, Chile. > > However, Rule Chile in southamerica was updated in 2008a, 2010d, 2011c and > 2011e. The rules for Chile after 1999 are defined as below in the current > version. > [...] > If the comment for Antarctica/Palmer is still true, then I think ChileAQ > in antarctica should be also updated. Does anyone know if ChileAQ in > antarctica was intentionally unchanged or, it's just an error? As far as I (one of the people who proposed the Chile 2010/2011 changes) know, it's an error. (I completely forgot about Chile's Antarctic territiory, and that it would appear in a separate file.) Officially, Chile's Antarctic territory is supposed to follow the same rule as the rest of Chile (according to horaoffical.cl). I don't know if that actually happens in practice, or if the other Antarctic territories have also followed all the shifts in Chile's rules. -G. -- Glenn Eychaner (geychaner(a)lco.cl) Telescope Systems Programmer, Las Campanas Observatory

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Rule ChileAQ in antarctica
by yoshito_umaoka＠us.ibm.com Dec. 2, 2011

Dec. 2, 2011

Zone Antarctica/Palmer is currently defined as - # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Antarctica/Palmer 0 - zzz 1965 -4:00 ArgAQ AR%sT 1969 Oct 5 -3:00 ArgAQ AR%sT 1982 May -4:00 ChileAQ CL%sT The comment mentions that Palmer station keeps the same time as Punta Arenas, Chile. # From Ethan Dicks (1996-10-06): # It keeps the same time as Punta Arenas, Chile, because, just like us # and the South Pole, that's the other end of their supply line.... # I verified with someone who was there that since 1980, # Palmer has followed Chile. Prior to that, before the Falklands War, # Palmer used to be supplied from Argentina. The rule ChileAQ in antarctica was copied from southamerica file and the current effective rules are below - Rule ChileAQ 1999 max - Oct Sun>=9 4:00u 1:00 S Rule ChileAQ 2000 max - Mar Sun>=9 3:00u 0 - However, Rule Chile in southamerica was updated in 2008a, 2010d, 2011c and 2011e. The rules for Chile after 1999 are defined as below in the current version. Rule Chile 1999 2010 - Oct Sun>=9 4:00u 1:00 S Rule Chile 2011 only - Aug Sun>=16 4:00u 1:00 S Rule Chile 2012 max - Oct Sun>=9 4:00u 1:00 S Rule Chile 2000 2007 - Mar Sun>=9 3:00u 0 - # N.B.: the end of March 29 in Chile is March 30 in Universal time, # which is used below in specifying the transition. Rule Chile 2008 only - Mar 30 3:00u 0 - Rule Chile 2009 only - Mar Sun>=9 3:00u 0 - Rule Chile 2010 only - Apr Sun>=1 3:00u 0 - Rule Chile 2011 only - May Sun>=2 3:00u 0 - Rule Chile 2012 max - Mar Sun>=9 3:00u 0 - If the comment for Antarctica/Palmer is still true, then I think ChileAQ in antarctica should be also updated. Does anyone know if ChileAQ in antarctica was intentionally unchanged or, it's just an error? Thanks, Yoshito

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America/Creston
by Chris Walton Dec. 2, 2011

Dec. 2, 2011

There are two areas within the Canadian province of British Columbia that do not currently observe daylight saving: a) The Creston Valley (includes the town of Creston and surrounding area) b) The eastern half of the Peace River Regional District (includes the cities of Dawson Creek and Fort St. John) Creston does not have a dedicated zone file; it is assumed that residents of Creston should use "America/Dawson_Creek". This assumption can be inferred from a comment that is currently embedded in the tz database's northamerica file; the comment reads: "Matthews and Vincent (1998) write that Creston is like Dawson Creek.". Earlier this year I stumbled across a detailed article about the time keeping history of Creston; it was written by Tammy Hardwick who is the manager of the Creston & District Museum. The article was written in May 2009. http://www.ilovecreston.com/?p=articles&t=spec&ar=260 According to the article, Creston has not changed its clocks since June 1918. i.e. Creston has been stuck on UTC-7 for 93 years. Dawson Creek, on the other hand, changed its clocks as recently as April 1972 (as is correctly reflected in the current tz database). The current tz rules state that a separate zone file should be created for regions that differ after 1970. So... I am proposing the addition of "America/Creston" to the database. Unfortunately the exact date for the time change in June 1918 remains unknown and will be difficult to ascertain. I e-mailed Tammy a few months ago to ask if Sunday June 2 was a reasonable guess. She said it was just as plausible as any other date (in June). She also said that after writing the article she had discovered another time change in 1916; this is the subject of another article which she wrote in October 2010. http://www.creston.museum.bc.ca/index.php?module=comments&uop=view_comment&… Here is a summary of the three clock change events in Creston's history: 1. 1884 or 1885: adoption of Mountain Standard Time (GMT-7) # Exact date unknown 2. Oct 1916: switch to Pacific Standard Time (GMT-8) # Exact date in October unknown; Sunday October 1 is a reasonable guess. 3. June 1918: switch to Pacific Daylight Time (GMT-7) # Exact date in June unknown; Sunday June 2 is a reasonable guess. note#1: On Oct 27/1918 when daylight saving ended in the rest of Canada, Creston did not change its clocks. By not changing the clocks, Creston had effectively transitioned itself back to Mountain Standard Time. note#2: During WWII when the Federal Government legislated a mandatory clock change, Creston did not oblige. Creston was able to claim that it had moved itself back to the Pacific Time Zone and could observe daylight saving (Pacific War Time) without changing the clocks. After the war, Creston conveniently moved itself back to Mountain Standard Time, again with no change to the clocks. note#3: There is no guarantee that Creston will remain on Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7) forever. The subject was debated at least once this year by the town Council. http://www.bclocalnews.com/kootenay_rockies/crestonvalleyadvance/news/11676… Here is a proposed zone entry for the northamerica file: # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone America/Creston -7:46:04 - LMT 1884 -7:00 - MST 1916 Oct 1 -8:00 - PST 1918 Jun 2 -8:00 1:00 PDT 1918 Oct 27 2:00 -7:00 - MST 1942 Feb 9 2:00 -8:00 Canada P%sT 1945 Sep 30 2:00 -7:00 - MST Alternatively the dates in Oct 1916 and June 1918 could be omitted since we don't know what they are; this would cause zic to default to Oct 1/1916 and June 1/1918. # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone America/Creston -7:46:04 - LMT 1884 -7:00 - MST 1916 Oct -8:00 - PST 1918 Jun -8:00 1:00 PDT 1918 Oct 27 2:00 -7:00 - MST 1942 Feb 9 2:00 -8:00 Canada P%sT 1945 Sep 30 2:00 -7:00 - MST Note the use of the Canada rule in 1942 results in the use of "PWT(pacific war time)" and "PPT(pacific peace time)". The zone.tab entry should look like this: CA +4906-11631 America/Creston Mountain Standard Time - Creston, British Columbia # # # # # # And now one last tidbit: In the first of Tammy's articles she quotes the Friday November 1/1918 edition of the Creston Review. The quote includes these two statements: 'Sunday the CPR went back to the old system of time...' '... The daylight saving scheme was dropped all over Canada at the same time,' These statements refer to a transition from daylight time to standard time that occurred nationally on Sunday October 27/1918. This transition was also documented in the Saturday October 26/1918 edition of the Toronto Star. The Toronto Star articles reads as follows: 'BACK TO OLD TIME - Canada Returns to Orthodox Measurement of Time To-morrow Morning. Ottawa, Oct. 26.---"Daylight saving" comes to an end Sunday morning, October 27, at 2 o'clock, when Canada returns to the orthodox measurement of time. Either the simple ceremony of stopping the clock for an hour or sliding the hands forward 11 hours should be carried out. To turn the hands back would be to injure its mechanism.' My reason for providing these two references to the October 27/1918 transition, is that the tz database currently defines it as being on Thursday October 31 instead of Sunday November 27. This is an error that presumably needs to be corrected in the rules for "Canada", "Regina", "Vanc", "Winn", and "Edm". -chris

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