[tz] proposal for new tzdb versions

[Derick Rethans]

On 22 September 2021 19:30:38 BST, Paul Eggert via tz <tz at iana.org> wrote:
>In light of the previous discussions and the fact that we need a new 
>release very soon, I propose the following:
>
>* We release 2021b pretty much as-is (with the usual release 
>administrivia such as updating NEWS).
>
>* We also generate a separate 2021a1 version, which is like 2021a except 
>with the Samoa change that is prompting 2021b. This version recognizes 
>the concerns about the number of changes to pre-1970 timestamps in 
>2021b. I'll do this by publishing a patch to 2021a, along with a patched 
>tarball, on my website at UCLA.

I can't remember the last time there was a number after the version letter (so 2004, at the latest), and none of the tooling that I've been involved with will know how to handle this. 

By deviating from the expected norm, albeit potentially naively, I'm afraid it will cause more problems than it solves.

I'd also worry that people that don't pay attention will suddenly get tzdata that is in their view "missing data". I would therefore urge you to have a 2021b which is 2021a with the required rules set update only. 

cheers 
Derick