That rule, while understandable, does cause hiccups; it would be easier for implementations if each country code mapped to at least one zone. ------------------------------ Mark <https://plus.google.com/114199149796022210033> * * *— Il meglio è l’inimico del bene —* ** On Fri, May 11, 2012 at 3:36 PM, Garrett Wollman <wollman@csail.mit.edu>wrote:
<<On Fri, 11 May 2012 15:05:59 -0700, Paul Goyette <pgoyette@juniper.net> said:
Wouldn't we normally _not_ create a new zone until it diverges from its current zone? Which makes the historical "has it always been GMT-5" important. If that answer is yes, then there's no need (yet) for a new zone, but if there is an historical divergence then a new zone is warranted.
The historical practice of the maintainers up to this point has been that locations that are uninhabited do not get a zone. The Antarctic bases are considered to be inhabited, by this definition, even if there is no full-time civilian population, but there does not appear to be any sort of permanent human presence on Heard and the McDonald Islands. The Wikipedia article at least claims that they are "currently uninhabited".
heardisland.aq says:
Since the first landing on Heard Island in 1855, there have been only approximately 240 shore-based visits to the island, and only two landings on McDonald Island (in 1971 and 1980).
That would suggest that they should not be assigned a zone. If the Australian government were to establish a permanent manned station on the islands, then adding a new zone might be justified.
-GAWollman