<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 5.50.4134.600" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I have
a request regarding zone names. It would be very helpful for me if there
is a separate file with </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Country Name, </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Zone short name (like ET), </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Zone
Long Name(Eastern Time), </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Zone
Summer short Name(EDT), </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Zone
Summer Long Name (Eastern DayLight Time), </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Zone
standard short Name(EST), </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Zone
standard Long Name(Eastern Standard Time)</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>GMT
Offset (Standard)</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Currently used indicator (this will indicate if the timezone is just for
historical purposes)</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Even
though Zone names are not standard, our tz list can agree upon some
standard names and use the same abbreviations. I am sure there are
others also who are interested in such a file. I will gladly
volunteer some of my time to prepare the initial file, if the list agrees that
this is an useful feature, and any future changes to tzdata will be reflected in
this file also. Each timezone abbreviation used in the tzdata must be the
same as Zone Short Name of the reference file.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>P.S.
The above file format makes it easy for me to load the file straight onto my
application database. Suggestions are welcome. I also understand
that this may not be the part of the original intention (can someone also please
explain what the aim of tz database is), but all the same it will be very
useful for folks who need the data in database format and write their own
functions to interpret it.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Thanks,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>-Syed</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=630231317-09022001><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>(v.398-4015)</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> Srinivas Nagaraj
[mailto:srinivas@broadsoft.com]<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, February 09, 2001
11:03 AM<BR><B>To:</B> Time Zone Mailing List (E-mail)<BR><B>Subject:</B> TZ
database content<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>The TZ
(zoneinfo) database comes installed with several operating
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>systems
like Linux, Solaris, etc. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=749444216-09022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>I have noticed the
content</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>
of the TZ database varies between different </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>versions of the
same</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>
operating system and also between operating </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>systems.
This could have been because of when a snapshot of the
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>TZ database
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>was
taken. </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=749444216-09022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>Ofcourse, one
significant difference is the actual name of the </SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>time zone.</SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001> </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>Depending on the
content of the TZ database, the time zone </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>name</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001> look </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>different.
Is it because the TZ database has evolved? </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=749444216-09022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>I also
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>noticed
that the zone.tab file is not distributed on</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial
size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001> a number of </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=749444216-09022001>installations. Was that operating system
installation decision?</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=749444216-09022001></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=749444216-09022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>Now my main
question, is it an appropriate application specific common
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>practice
</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>to use an
application specific TZ database? That way the </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>time zone
names</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001> can
be consistent, irrespective of where the application </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>is
installed?</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=749444216-09022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=749444216-09022001>Thank
you.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=749444216-09022001></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=749444216-09022001>Srini</SPAN></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>