You wrote:
> | But what I was convincing myself of was precisely, as you
> | put it, that the number generated by strftime %s:
> | > ...is *not* the time_t value that produced this
> | > struct tm - it cannot be, as no such thing need exist.
>
> Note you need to keep the correct standards in your head,
> and know what each requires, and what each specifies.

You also need to be clear about whether you're thinking as a user
or an implementor.  Also whether you're thinking about the way
things are, or ought to be.  I probably haven't been doing a good
job of either, in this thread.

Consequently I'm afraid we're talking at cross purposes.
I may be able to pen a longer reply when I have more time, but
likely not to the full list, as I doubt anyone else is interested
in any more of my internal dialog, or your lengthy rebuttals to
your, well, misunderstandings of it. :-)