[tz] Rules for TZ+ database

[Brian Inglis]

On 2013-09-05 08:52, Paul Eggert wrote:
> Lester Caine wrote:
>> Is there no way to add something which existing zic scripts will simply ignore.
>
> There isn't one now really, other than putting the data into
> a different source file and not telling zic about that
> source file.  Zefram's proposal would introduce a better
> way to do that, and this is the sort of thing that I expect
> will be needed before we can open the floodgates.

I would like to suggest that if historical zone changes can not be accomodated 
in the main zone files, perhaps they should be added as zone entries in the 
(optional) *backward* file, overriding links in either file.

If we can support historical leap seconds, so that scientists can correlate past 
data to the second, we should also try to support historians, genealogists, 
astrologers, and others who care about past times, as well as the travel 
industry who care about current and future times. Oh, and the sys admins who 
care their systems show the correct time to all users, where and when ever they 
may be.

Why folks give a damn about hours here or there years ago, I can not fathom, but 
unforeseen and unintended creative uses of applications and data can often dwarf 
the original intent, if the work is done well, as it obviously has been, 
otherwise you would not get such a furor.