Brian Inglis wrote:
On 2016-03-02 16:19, Ian Abbott wrote:
On 03/02/16 23:02, Paul Eggert wrote:
The TZ string "PST+8PDT" doesn't conform to POSIX, It doesn't?
It does appear to conform - see:
http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/basedefs/V1_chap08.html#tag_...
It "conforms" in the sense that its syntax matches the POSIX spec. However, no semantics are specified by POSIX for what daylight-saving rules are in effect when TZ="PST+8PDT" is in the environment. Glibc is within its rights, for example, to assume that DST in effect only one second during the year -- or even not in effect any time. I vaguely recall older versions of POSIX not allowing the syntax "PST+PDT", though I could be wrong. I imagine the current POSIX spec is simply a typo, since I can't imagine that it's intended for users to employ a syntax whose semantics are unspecified. Also, I think it's a glibc bug, in the sense that I don't think the current behavior is intended by the glibc maintainers. Still, portable programs shouldn't use TZ="PST+8PDT" or TZ="PST8PDT" or anything like that.