I'd like to second Deborah Goldsmith's comments. Change is hugely disruptive and the tz package is a core element of many critical systems. We don't have the luxury of making little changes, unlike some others packages. Ideally the current distribution format should last for centuries. Supplementing it is fine, but removing it should be off the table. In short, "No, you don't get to simplify." This all looks like a solution in search of a problem. ---------------------------------------- Further, I remain deeply concerned that we are not pushing changes out to releases fast enough, and not using enough of an enterprise perspective. On Aug. 8, Paul remarked that he expected an October release would be the first to incorporate the leap second changes for this December. That is 2 months; that is not a comfortable amount of time. The strange fiction of the "experimental" github repo does not really help here. The idea that we might all be using something different while thinking we are "current" is disquieting. Sorry to stir up old issues. ---------------------------------------- p.s.: Maybe someone can dig up some RISKS entries of classic times where people "just wanted to simplify" and disaster struck. --jhawk@mit.edu John Hawkinson