Tim Parenti wrote:
I'd be interested in any insights he might have to share about the Kolkata change.
If memory serves that was Arthur David Olson's decision when he was maintainer, but I can share my two cents. In English, the name "Kolkata" is far more common than "Calcutta" nowadays, so a name change was in order. In contrast, "Kiev" is far more common than "Kyiv", so a name change does not seem appropriate. The tz database prefers commonly-used English-language names to the correct or official names. For example, it uses America/Los_Angeles even though "Los Angeles" is not my city's official name. More generally, it's better to err on the side of conservatism about name changes, partly because of the hassle for everybody when the names change, and partly to avoid political discussions that distract from the project.