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Astrolabe lawsuit update
by David Braverman Oct. 17, 2011

Oct. 17, 2011

Astrolabe, Inc., sent out a press release overnight: http://www.thedailyparker.com/CommentView,guid,bded3439-6019-4389-93a3-29af… And I responded, if anyone's interested: http://www.thedailyparker.com/PermaLink,guid,103d30f9-4d58-4b72-9f5a-8db45e… I hope this isn't out of scope for the list. I figured people might be interested in the latest developments in the case. David Braverman Weather Now<http://www.wx-now.com/>

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Proposed time zone package changes (Fiji, Bahia Brazil, West Bank(Hebron))
by Robert Elz Oct. 17, 2011

Oct. 17, 2011

Here are proposed changes to the time zone package. I'm releasing these changes now as the change to Bahia, Brazil, is due to take effect next Sunday week (8 or 9 days away, or something), so getting at least that change distributed now is urgent. The executive summary asia Changed the end date for Summer Time for this year (2011) to match reality reported by Steffen Thorsen. northamerica Corrected typo in (ancient) LMT zone offset as detected by Zefram. southamerica Resume Summer Time in Bahia, Brazil (following the standard Brazil algorithm, which causes Summer time to start Oct 16 this year, which matches the report.) australasia Adjust the end date for Summer time in Fiji in 2012 (Feb) as reported by Steffen Thorsen. That Bolivia will not start Summer time this year seems fortuitous as apparently we had no idea that it had been intended. Armenia's plan to abolish Summer Time can wait until it has ceased being a plan and become reality. As with Arthur's last update, any changes needed for Russia are deferred, mostly because I haven't been able to fathom what those changes need to be... (I wasn't paying that much attention to all the messages about this, as I didn't expect any of that to directly affect me - if someone who knows what is happening could send a proposed diff, that would help). One proposal that Arthur, Paul, and I had kicked around a little (very little) off list that might affect things there, was to abandon attempts to invent new time zone abbreviations for places that don't have one already in use, and instead just insert LST as a place holder (Local Standard/Summer Time). Anywhere that cares what the abbreviation is can have their preferred abbreviation, as always, other places, where we had been inventing strings just because we thought it was a good idea, will get LST instead. There was no plan to go back and change all the currently established invented abbreviations though, or not unless there's a request to remove a particularly poor choice, if we have any of those. And yes, we know that LST already exists with another interpretation (which can remain), we don't care. None of this is in this update, so feel free to express opinions on the advisability of adopting this policy for future new zones. The tzdata diff follows. I plan on releasing this next Monday (October 10) if there are no detected problems (and will almost certainly release whatever part of this is correct then). Note that I life in a timezone far east of Arthur, his Monday updates got to me on my Tuesday, so my Monday update will get to many of you on your Sunday.... kre *** asia 2011/10/07 06:09:10 1.1 --- asia 2011/10/07 06:54:28 *************** *** 2269,2275 **** 2:00 Palestine EE%sT 2011 Apr 1 12:01 2:00 1:00 EEST 2011 Aug 1 2:00 - EET 2011 Aug 30 ! 2:00 1:00 EEST 2011 Oct 3 3:00 2:00 - EET # Paracel Is --- 2269,2275 ---- 2:00 Palestine EE%sT 2011 Apr 1 12:01 2:00 1:00 EEST 2011 Aug 1 2:00 - EET 2011 Aug 30 ! 2:00 1:00 EEST 2011 Sep 30 3:00 2:00 - EET # Paracel Is *** australasia 2011/10/07 06:09:10 1.1 --- australasia 2011/10/07 06:21:11 *************** *** 303,308 **** --- 303,310 ---- Rule Fiji 2010 only - Mar lastSun 3:00 0 - Rule Fiji 2010 only - Oct 24 2:00 1:00 S Rule Fiji 2011 only - Mar Sun>=1 3:00 0 - + Rule Fiji 2011 only - Oct 23 2:00 1:00 S + Rule Fiji 2012 only - Feb 26 3:00 0 - # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Fiji 11:53:40 - LMT 1915 Oct 26 # Suva 12:00 Fiji FJ%sT # Fiji Time *** northamerica 2011/10/07 06:09:10 1.1 --- northamerica 2011/10/07 06:13:35 *************** *** 483,489 **** -8:00 US P%sT 1983 Oct 30 2:00 -9:00 US Y%sT 1983 Nov 30 -9:00 US AK%sT ! Zone America/Sitka -14:58:47 - LMT 1867 Oct 18 -9:01:13 - LMT 1900 Aug 20 12:00 -8:00 - PST 1942 -8:00 US P%sT 1946 --- 483,489 ---- -8:00 US P%sT 1983 Oct 30 2:00 -9:00 US Y%sT 1983 Nov 30 -9:00 US AK%sT ! Zone America/Sitka 14:58:47 - LMT 1867 Oct 18 -9:01:13 - LMT 1900 Aug 20 12:00 -8:00 - PST 1942 -8:00 US P%sT 1946 *** southamerica 2011/10/07 06:09:10 1.1 --- southamerica 2011/10/07 06:36:20 *************** *** 1034,1040 **** # of America/Salvador. Zone America/Bahia -2:34:04 - LMT 1914 -3:00 Brazil BR%sT 2003 Sep 24 ! -3:00 - BRT # # Goias (GO), Distrito Federal (DF), Minas Gerais (MG), # Espirito Santo (ES), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Sao Paulo (SP), Parana (PR), --- 1034,1041 ---- # of America/Salvador. Zone America/Bahia -2:34:04 - LMT 1914 -3:00 Brazil BR%sT 2003 Sep 24 ! -3:00 - BRT 2011 Oct 16 ! -3:00 Brazil BR%sT # # Goias (GO), Distrito Federal (DF), Minas Gerais (MG), # Espirito Santo (ES), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Sao Paulo (SP), Parana (PR),

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Irish time...
by Kevin Lyda Oct. 17, 2011

Oct. 17, 2011

The first entry in the europe zone file for Ireland is as follows: Rule GB-Eire 1916 only - May 21 2:00s 1:00 BST However I don't think it's correct. I'm not sure how far back we want to go, but apparently from 1880 up until October, 1916, Dublin was 25 minutes off from London. When the clocks were set back in October 1916, they were set back 35 minutes - which would seem to cast doubt on the second line for GB-Eire: Rule GB-Eire 1916 only - Oct 1 2:00s 0 GMT And 25 minutes, as noted in the file was an oversimplification. A web page with more detail is here (I've cc'd Dave who might have more info): http://www.maths.tcd.ie/~dwmalone/time/dunsink.html And apparently there were places in Ireland observing the Dunsink based "Dublin Mean Time" up to the 1940s: http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0079/D.0079.194003050027.html In addition, Belfast seems to have had yet another timezone. How did the British actually manage to build an empire anyway? Kevin -- Kevin Lyda Dublin, Ireland US Citizen overseas? We can vote. Register now: http://www.votefromabroad.org/

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AP Article: Time zone database has new home after lawsuit
by Jonathan Leffler Oct. 17, 2011

Oct. 17, 2011

The URL I got was: http://my.earthlink.net/article/tec?guid=20111016/ec375dde-65b5-4564-abce-4… Time zone database has new home after lawsuit ANICK JESDANUN >From Associated Press October 16, 2011 7:35 PM EDT NEW YORK (AP) — The organization in charge of the Internet's address system is taking over a database widely used by computers and websites to keep track of time zones around the world. The transition to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, comes a week after the database was abruptly removed from a U.S. government server because of a federal lawsuit claiming copyright infringement. [...] ICANN accelerated those discussions and took over management Friday after the database was removed from NIH's server on Oct. 6, following a lawsuit over historical data used. Astrology software company Astrolabe Inc. argues that Olson and another volunteer at University of California, Los Angeles should have paid royalties for including data from its software. The defendants have insisted that the data are in the public domain and not subject to copyright. Their employers were not named as defendants. The federal lawsuit, filed Sept. 30 in Boston, does not affect current time zone information, which comes from tips sent by volunteers through an email list. However, ICANN is keeping the historical information in the database. "We are aware of the lawsuit," Davies said. "We believe it's important to continue the operation of the database. We'll deal with any legal matters as they arise." ___ Time zone database: http://www.iana.org/time-zones -- Jonathan Leffler <jonathan.leffler(a)gmail.com> #include <disclaimer.h> Guardian of DBD::Informix - v2011.0612 - http://dbi.perl.org "Blessed are we who can laugh at ourselves, for we shall never cease to be amused."

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ICANN to Manage Time Zone Database
by Marshall Eubanks Oct. 16, 2011

Oct. 16, 2011

FYI --------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:43:21 -0400 From: ICANN News Alert <communications(a)icann.org> Subject: ICANN News Alert -- ICANN to Manage Time Zone Database ICANN News Alert http://www.icann.org/en/news/releases/release-14oct11-en.pdf [PDF, 275 KB]

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Re: [tz] Astrolabe lawsuit update
by Gunther Vermeir Oct. 15, 2011

Oct. 15, 2011

sorry, that was one cc to many my apologies , no need to discuss this on the list itself Gunther ----- Original Message ----- From: gunther.vermeir(a)oracle.com To: valli108(a)gmail.com Cc: david(a)braverman.org, tz(a)iana.org Sent: Saturday, October 15, 2011 9:10:08 PM GMT +01:00 Amsterdam / Berlin / Bern / Rome / Stockholm / Vienna Subject: Re: [tz] Astrolabe lawsuit update Valli, even if I personally don't agree with your views on the world (i don't believe in / follow the idea of astrology) , I think David's "We aren't pissed at you because you're astrologers; we're pissed at you because you're stupid." remark quite nicely sums up the reaction I got from a lot of people I've talked to about this :) David, very nice write up, I must remember to not try to sip on a drink while reading things from you :) Gunther ----- Original Message ----- From: valli108(a)gmail.com To: david(a)braverman.org Cc: tz(a)iana.org Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 6:51:35 PM GMT +01:00 Amsterdam / Berlin / Bern / Rome / Stockholm / Vienna Subject: Re: [tz] Astrolabe lawsuit update Thank you, David, for sharing both of these. I am a Vedic astrologer on this list, and I hugely respect the work of the Olson database community. Please know Astrolabe does NOT speak for all astrologers. While the Supreme Court in India has ruled that Vedic astrology is a science, I do realize not all on this list share that view, and I'm not looking to go "out of scope" with a discussion on that topic. However, if this case needs any testimonies from astrologers speaking up refuting Astrolabe, I'm happy to write something up. ADO has a great reputation for integrity, and this list has been very thoughtful for years. I do not see this case as "astrologers" vs. Olson database community. Valli On Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 8:55 AM, David Braverman < david(a)braverman.org > wrote: Astrolabe, Inc., sent out a press release overnight: http://www.thedailyparker.com/CommentView,guid,bded3439-6019-4389-93a3-29af… And I responded, if anyone’s interested: http://www.thedailyparker.com/PermaLink,guid,103d30f9-4d58-4b72-9f5a-8db45e… I hope this isn’t out of scope for the list. I figured people might be interested in the latest developments in the case. David Braverman Weather Now -- "Unless you are a warrior, you will never succeed in life." ~ Dr. Pillai

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Re: [tz] Astrolabe lawsuit update
by Gunther Vermeir Oct. 15, 2011

Oct. 15, 2011

Valli, even if I personally don't agree with your views on the world (i don't believe in / follow the idea of astrology) , I think David's "We aren't pissed at you because you're astrologers; we're pissed at you because you're stupid." remark quite nicely sums up the reaction I got from a lot of people I've talked to about this :) David, very nice write up, I must remember to not try to sip on a drink while reading things from you :) Gunther ----- Original Message ----- From: valli108(a)gmail.com To: david(a)braverman.org Cc: tz(a)iana.org Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 6:51:35 PM GMT +01:00 Amsterdam / Berlin / Bern / Rome / Stockholm / Vienna Subject: Re: [tz] Astrolabe lawsuit update Thank you, David, for sharing both of these. I am a Vedic astrologer on this list, and I hugely respect the work of the Olson database community. Please know Astrolabe does NOT speak for all astrologers. While the Supreme Court in India has ruled that Vedic astrology is a science, I do realize not all on this list share that view, and I'm not looking to go "out of scope" with a discussion on that topic. However, if this case needs any testimonies from astrologers speaking up refuting Astrolabe, I'm happy to write something up. ADO has a great reputation for integrity, and this list has been very thoughtful for years. I do not see this case as "astrologers" vs. Olson database community. Valli On Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 8:55 AM, David Braverman < david(a)braverman.org > wrote: Astrolabe, Inc., sent out a press release overnight: http://www.thedailyparker.com/CommentView,guid,bded3439-6019-4389-93a3-29af… And I responded, if anyone’s interested: http://www.thedailyparker.com/PermaLink,guid,103d30f9-4d58-4b72-9f5a-8db45e… I hope this isn’t out of scope for the list. I figured people might be interested in the latest developments in the case. David Braverman Weather Now -- "Unless you are a warrior, you will never succeed in life." ~ Dr. Pillai

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ICANN News Alert - ICANN to Manage Time Zone Database
by dr.hingston Oct. 14, 2011

Oct. 14, 2011

I don't think this has been notified to the list? On 30 September Astrolabe Inc filed action for alleged copyright infringement against the voluntary maintainers of the TZ database. Details at: www.scribd.com/doc/67760407/ASTROLABE-INC-Vs-ARTHUR-DAVID-OLSON-and-PAUL-EGG ERT-Complaint ICANN has just released the following statement at: www.icann.org/en/news/releases/release-14oct11-en.pdf ICANN to Manage Time Zone Database The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today took over operation of an Internet Time Zone Database that is used by a number of major computer systems. ICANN agreed to manage the database after receiving a request from the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The database contains time zone code and data that computer programs and operating systems such as Unix, Linux, Java, and Oracle rely on to determine the correct time for a given location. Modifications to the database occur frequently throughout the year. "The time zone database is used by a large number of commercial operating systems and the software applications," said Russ Housely, chairman of the IETF. "Incorrect time zone information will impact many everyday activities, including meeting and conference call coordination, airplane and train schedules, physical package delivery notices, and astronomical observatories." For nearly three decades, the TZ Database had been maintained by a group of dedicated volunteers, in particular, Arthur David Olson at the US National Institutes of Health. Olson coordinated the group, managed the data, and created a platform for their release. Olson's announced retirement prompted the IETF to turn to ICANN to ensure continued operation of the database. "The Time Zone Database provides an essential service on the Internet and keeping it operational falls within ICANN's mission of maintaining a stable and dependable Internet," said Akram Atallah, ICANN's Chief Operating Officer. <end>

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Re: [tz] LST
by Robert Elz Oct. 14, 2011

Oct. 14, 2011

Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:10:31 -0400 From: Tim Parenti <tim(a)timtimeonline.com> Message-ID: <CAFpi07yBJVqZxgFSzqOoKTLPb2m67NiH_LPCBifGT3J8hMrzsw(a)mail.gmail.com> | "LST" seems too like the other "meaningful" identifiers that people may try | to continue to infer meaning from it. And ... Jaakko Hyvätti <jaakko.hyvatti(a)foreca.com> said: | LOC or LOCAL would be least confusing I think. A couple of other suggestions I have been sent off list: LCT (Local Clock Time) which has the advantages of LST (most of the advantages I like in that one, but without the name clash - which personally I see as a deficit of LCT!) NIL or nil as an alternative for NONE or none while remaining 3 characters long (which is a minor advantage, but we already have zones with longer abbreviations, so ...) These are thrown into the pot for consideration. There is no current urgency to come to a conclusion on this that I'm aware of, so we can treat it as a back-burner topic. But please everyone, keep in mind that debating names is easy, everyone can have an opinion, as there's usually no right answer (sometimes some wrong answers, but not often one obviously right answer). kre

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Re: [tz] LST
by Tim Parenti Oct. 14, 2011

Oct. 14, 2011

On Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 23:29, Robert Elz <kre(a)munnari.oz.au> wrote: > | Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I believe most robust implementations of > the TZ > | database already have some way of expressing an offset in this way. > > That isn't the issue. What is of interest for this topic, is what the > tz database (and code) should put in the tzname[] array &/or tm_zone field > of the struct tm. > ... > > So, using -04:00 just isn't an option, sorry. > That was precisely my point. While a numeric offset would be meaningful, it's place is simply *not* in the abbreviation designation, for programmatic and practical reasons. On Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 06:29, Zefram <zefram(a)fysh.org> wrote: > FWIW, the POSIX standard for $TZ allows ASCII letters (of either case), > digits, "+", and "-" in the abbreviation, and requires the abbreviation > to be at least three characters long. > "LST" seems too like the other "meaningful" identifiers that people may try to continue to infer meaning from it. Could we perhaps just use the string "local" for these "non-meaningful" cases, and avoid abbreviations altogether? This all-lowercase string conforms to the POSIX standard as described and would also serve to *clearly* disambiguate from other identifiers like "UTC", while not having to deal with contrived abbreviations. -- Tim Parenti

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