[tz] Was Azerbaijan the first government to cite tzdb?

[Paul.Koning at dell.com]

> On Nov 10, 2017, at 4:57 AM, Zefram <zefram at fysh.org> wrote:
> 
> ...
> How would this manifest among timezones?  If tzdb is taken as the arbiter
> of what is a timezone, which it indeed functions as for some purposes,
> maybe there'll be a desire for each country to have its own (non-link)
> timezone, as a matter of national pride.  Countries that have had
> identical time since 1970 might diverge for a few months just to get
> themselves (or rather their capital cities) on the list.  Sub-national
> regions with separatist ambitions (e.g., Catalonia) and enough devolution
> to achieve it might pull the same trick to get their own timezone,
> so that they can say they have the same status as sovereign countries.
> 
> For this to start happening just needs governments to perceive that
> appearing on computers' lists of timezones is desirable.  

An OS might show you in the list if you have a timezone name, whether that name is a link or not.  Some systems do this, but I suppose others do not.

As for the national pride thing, that's possible.  Some years ago, Venezuela was on a half-hour offset from all its neighbors for a few years, for reasons that might be said to include national pride.

I don't think this has anything to do with tzdb.  It isn't the arbiter of what's a zone, for one thing -- it is only the recorder of those decisions.  The arbiter is each government with power to make those decisions.  If and when it decides to be different, tzdb will record that fact.  The motivation for the decision, even if we think we know it, isn't a consideration.

Also, note that timezones have no direct connection to sovereign country status.  If a region has its own rule, it has its own timezone; there is absolutely no connection with any notion of sovereignty there.

	paul