[tz] Getting close to new release: testing, testing, ...

[Zefram]

random832 at fastmail.us wrote:
>We're getting stuck on ways to compatibly extend the current format.

Appending new fields to the existing format is a serviceable mechanism.
The problem with glibc, and other tzfile parsers that are sensitive
to such changes, is best addressed by giving advance notice of the new
format before releasing the new zic.

>What about adding another file in a new location,

I don't think there's any pressing need to do this, but it has its
attractions.  If we do work on an incompatibly different file format, it
should be a long-term project to produce a format to serve for the next
30 years, not a hasty process that we'd need to redo.  You've listed a
couple of issues we could tackle this way, and I've got my own laundry
list of desiderata.

-zefram