FW: Time Zone Data File Conventions

[Olson, Arthur David]

(Note that wally.wedel at central.sun.com is not on the time zone mailing
list;
be sure that a copy of any reply gets sent that way. --ado.)


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From: 	Waldo (Wally) Wedel [Sun Professional Services
JDC][SMTP:wally.wedel at Central.Sun.COM]
Sent: 	Wednesday, October 15, 1997 4:52 PM
To: 	tz at elsie.nci.nih.gov
Subject: 	Time Zone Data File Conventions

Gentlemen:

I am just finishing up implementing some general time zone classes in
Java. I parse 
your data files and build time zone classes from them. Consequently, I
have a few 
questions.

1) You use the concepts of "wall clock", "standard", and "GMT" time in
specifying 
transition times. I'd like to verify just what these mean. 
a) Does "wall clock" mean simply take the time as given applying no
corrections?
b) Does "standard" mean apply DST time shift to given time to find true
time?
c) Does "GMT" mean apply GMT offset to given time to get true time?

2) Is the convention for rule naming that when searching for the
applicable rule, one 
looks for a rule with the specified name covering the specified date? I
assume that 
failure to find a rule implies no time shift.

3) The comments in the data files contain quite important information
about the 
actual coded information. Have you considered converting them to HTML to
get them 
better tagged? I'm particularly interested in tagging some kind of a
long name usable 
in reports and like. I've been trying to figure out how to preserve them
in an OODB 
so that they are properly associated with the data they describe.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

--
Wally Wedel                   Wally.Wedel at sun.com
SunService Division           (303) 804-3073
Java Design Center            Fax: (303) 290-1696
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