On Nov 25, 2007 8:44 AM, Paul Eggert <eggert@cs.ucla.edu> wrote:

"Jonathan Leffler" <jonathan.leffler@gmail.com> writes:

> Has anyone ever suggested embedding the version number of the time zone data
> files (eg "2007i") into that space, so that you can tell immediately where
> the data comes from when looking at the file?

Not that I know of. But I'm not sure it's worth the hassle, as people
make changes to the source files on their own, and if that happens
the "version number" in the output will be unreliable.

They do? Well, yes, they probably do. OK - fair enough. I may end up putting some version information in the file along the lines I suggested for the system I'm working towards. Or it may become moot if I end up storing the time zone information directly in the database - though since there are client applications as well as the server to worry about, I am thinking it will be better to keep the data out of the database. (That said, the transactional capability of the database has its advantages for changing versions of the time zone information.)

Are there any thoughts anywhere about using those 15 zero bytes for any purpose that I'm likely to run foul of? I know I could run foul of a change at any time, but has any such use been mooted as a possibility at this point?

--
Jonathan Leffler <jonathan.leffler@gmail.com> #include <disclaimer.h>
Guardian of DBD::Informix - v2007.0914 - http://dbi.perl.org
"Blessed are we who can laugh at ourselves, for we shall never cease to be amused."