[tz] Recommendations for stable list of timezone ids

[Paul.Koning at dell.com]

> On Feb 9, 2018, at 7:44 AM, Tobias Lindaaker <thobes at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I am trying to compile a flat list of all tzids in the Time Zone Database in a way such that the position of a tzid remains the same in the list even in the face of future changes to the Time Zone Database.

Isn't this already in place?  Timezones are identified by <continent>/<city>.  While the primary name for a zone may change, for example if the "best known" spelling of the city changes, the previous name in such cases is preserved as a link.

So you can read the current tzdata to find all the names.  Those that aren't links are today's TZ identifiers.  In the future, if a new name shows up, it's either a renamed zone (if a previously known zone name is now a link to that new name) or a newly defined zone (if no such link exists).

If that isn't sufficient, what's missing?

	paul