etcetera patch

[Alex LIVINGSTON]

At 13:09 -0800 2001-02-12, Paul Eggert wrote:
>How about if we change the above comments to be something like this instead?
>
># We use POSIX-style signedness in the names and output,
># internal-style signedness in the specifications.

What is "internal-style signedness"? Would your "average" tz user know? How?

># For example, TZ=Etc/GMT+4 corresponds to 4 hours _behind_ UTC;
># it is equivalent to TZ=GMT+4, except that it uses the abbreviation "GMT+4"
># whereas TZ=GMT+4 uses the misleading abbreviation "GMT".
># TZ=Etc/GMT+4 is equivalent to the TZ='<GMT+4>+4' of Draft 5 of the next
># version of POSIX, but the angle-bracket notation is not yet
># supported by the tz code.  With the Draft 5 notation, people who
># prefer the traditional time zone sign can use TZ='<GMT-4>+4'.

What is "the traditional time zone sign"? Is it consistent with 
"internal-style signedness"? What about UTC as opposed to GMT? Might 
you also say "people who prefer ISO-8601 compliant time-zone signs 
can use TZ='<UTC-04:00>+4' instead"?

--Alex
_______________
Alex LIVINGSTON
IT, Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM), UNSW SYDNEY NSW 2052
Fax: +61 2 9931-9349 / Phone: +61 2 9931-9264 / Time: UTC + 10 or 11 hours

At end of today, Wednesday, February 14,
   time since epoch (1-1-1 at 00:00:00)
     = 730530 days = 2000.12320582 average Gregorian years
   time since 2nd millennium, 20th century, 200th decade, 2000th year
     = 45 days = .12320582 average Gregorian years