FW: "Etc\GMT" positive and negative

[Ian Abbott]

> From: EXIS.Diaz Lopez, Rodrigo [mailto:EXIS.rdiaz at iberia.es] Sent:
> Tuesday, February 01, 2011 12:25 To: tz at elsie.nci.nih.gov Subject:
> "Etc\GMT" positive and negative
>
> Hi:
>
> I think I found a bug with the "Etc\GMT" zones.
>
> If you use a "positive zone" like Etc\GMT+2 for calculate actual
> local time in this zone you obtain. local time for Etc\GMT-2 (¡a
> negative zone!). For instance, its' 5:00 PM (UTC/GMT), so in GMT+2
> zone (Greece) the local time must be 7:00 PM. But, if you use TZ
> Database, you obtain. ¡3:00 PM!
>
> And the opposite for "negative zones".
>
> Is a bit funny. Please, check it.
>
> I found a web page
> (http://www.gsp.com/support/virtual/admin/unix/tz/gmt/) that use tz
> database (I think) and shows this error.
>
> Best regards.
>
> P.S.: It is possible that the problem was with the "codes", because
> in the world there are "GMT+13" and "GMT+14" zones, and these zones
> do not exist in tz database. However, in tz database exists "GMT-13"
> and "GMT-14" zones, that not exist in the real world.

Perhaps this is related to the historical "America not wanting to be
negative" problem that gives us "EST5" being the same as "-0500" in
RFC822 terms?

-- 
-=( Ian Abbott @ MEV Ltd.    E-mail: <abbotti at mev.co.uk>        )=-
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