Sorry but how is that a problem for tzdb? It's pretty well established that the primary focus of the database has to do with maintaining the integrity of data post-1970.

If any downstream application or language is impacted by an action taken in the spirit of that, it's not tzdb's problem.

When the requirement arises for pre-1970s timezone data, the backzone files do exist and there have been multiple strategies discussed at this point on how to use the ones that might be needed.

Can we agree that this is a good discussion to have, because it may be worth this group deciding what should be the TZDB's problem.  I personally appreciate Derick's concern for those who are using PHP (and his desire not to be inundated with email ;-).

But it may take us some time to sort.

Eliot