[tz] Preparing to fork tzdb

Robert Elz kre at munnari.OZ.AU
Thu Sep 23 12:04:27 UTC 2021


    Date:        Thu, 23 Sep 2021 01:52:28 -0700
    From:        Paul Eggert via tz <tz at iana.org>
    Message-ID:  <cd323514-14cd-245f-0979-2edf91f5b59e at cs.ucla.edu>

  | Locations in countries like Norway and Sweden got special treatment by 
  | being Zones, whereas locations in countries like Angola and Ethiopia 
  | were only Links.

Then make the latter zones instead of links.

  | It replaces Zones with Links when Links suffice. That way, Norway etc. 
  | are treated like Angola etc.

Which could be fixed better the other direction.

  | The job is done now. There's no reason to make further changes like this.

Except that every time one of the zones which is now a link decides to
change its timezone rules, it needs to be converted back to a zone.
That wouldn't be required if they were left zones in the first place.

  | Only in the sense that the currently-prioritized timezones are those 
  | that differ since 1970, which is a timekeeping issue that the tzdb 
  | guidelines say is our priority.

Priority, yes, but that doesn't mean that nothing before then is
relevant.

  | This is in contrast to 2021a, where some 
  | timezones were prioritized for reasons unrelated to timekeeping.

If we stepped back to 2001 or so, and made sure that all the zones
which were zones then, continued to be zones now, then we would have
none of these problems.

All this has been inspired by this unnecessary desire to have less
zones, which is something I have never understood.

One zone (at least) per authority (nb: not country) should be the
goal, as I recall it, that's what we used to have.

And to answer Clive's question about whether Wales should have its
own timezone, the answer entirely depends upon whether the Welsh
parliament (such as it is) has the authority to alter the time in
Wales, if it does, then yes, there should be a Europe/Cardiff (my
guess as to the largest population centre in Wales, not intended to
necessarily be correct).  If it does not, then no, not unless the
British parliament (or whoever it delegates to make this decision)
decides to make the time in Wales differ from the rest of the UK.

  | but because of Samoa we really need to get a new release out
  | soon and so will have to make do with what we have, somehow.

Yes, 2021a, plus those changes (and anything else similar).  No more
zone merging.

kre




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