Xref:	news2.mv.net comp.os.msdos.djgpp:4312
From:	Clive Page <cgp AT le DOT ac DOT uk>
Newsgroups:	comp.os.msdos.djgpp
Subject:	Re: What is all this "timezone" stuff for?
Date:	28 May 1996 10:39:06 +0100
Organization:	University of Leicester, UK
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Message-ID:	<4oehjq$o95@hawk.le.ac.uk>
References:	<Pine DOT SUN DOT 3 DOT 91 DOT 960526085413 DOT 7733E-100000 AT is>
NNTP-Posting-Host:	hawk.le.ac.uk
To:	djgpp AT delorie DOT com
DJ-Gateway:	from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp

In article <Pine DOT SUN DOT 3 DOT 91 DOT 960526085413 DOT 7733E-100000 AT is>,
Eli Zaretskii  <eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il> wrote:
>
>These files are POSIX.  Since DJGPP is a POSIX-compliant environment, it
>works in a POSIX-like way.  I think DJGPP users can be trusted to detect
>unused files and zip them away and don't need to be fed such wisdom with a
>teaspoon. 

This whole discussion has been based on the assumption that an algorithm
exists that can determine the difference between local time and UTC (GMT
as was).  I have to say that this simply isn't possible.  The duration of
Summer Time (as it's called in the Northern hemisphere) varies from place
to place quite randomly and unpredictably, and changes are at the whim of
governments, which don't have any sense of needing to conform with
algorithms or standards.  Recently lots of diaries and calendars
in the UK had incorrect information about the dates on which clocks
changed, because our government changed the relevant dates after lots of
stuff had already been printed. Not surprisingly, lots of Unix and VMS
systems which relied on supposed predictions of these dates got it wrong,
and system managers had lots of fun sorting it all out.  Perhaps this was
an early sign of mad cow disease affecting our politicians, but I don't
think late change to summer time rules was unique. In Western Europe the
dates are now supposed to be "harmonised", but I wouldn't bet on the
European Commission being any more rational or predictable.

It's not just in Europe that things are a mess - I visited Arizona last
year and found that state to be an exception to the general US Summer
Time rules, and also that some parts of Arizona were different to others.

I think the whole idea of predicting the local-time - UTC difference is
fatally flawed.  It seems silly for the DJGPP package to even attempt it.
My respect for the sagacity of those who invented the Posix series of
standards, already not all that high, has fallen further, now I know that
they are responsible for clogging my disc with useless junk.

-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clive Page,                         Internet: cgp AT star DOT le DOT ac DOT uk
Dept of Physics & Astronomy,        
University of Leicester.         

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