[tz] Introduce Etc/UTC+x timezones?

[Steve Allen]

On Tue 2023-05-02T18:43:37+0200 Benjamin Drung hath writ:
> > The wording above will get more complicated by mid 21st century as UTC
> > deviates notably from GMT.
>
> For the tz project UTC = GMT, isn't it? Can you suggest a better
> wording?

Alas no.  The folks pushing to abandon the leap second have admitted
that some kind of adjustment of "new UTC" will eventually be needed
lest it deviate too far from GMT.  That remains unexplored.  It will
want worldwide consensus of governments and data models on a meaning
of time and calendar days which is satisfactory for political and
technical purposes.  If a government objects to a deviation of 15
seconds that agreement could be needed by 2050, but a larger tolerance
should be acceptable and that should push the need to the end of this
century.

The current wording is sloppy because UT (and UT1) have always been
deviating from GMT, just not by enough for people to notice.  The
better wording cannot happen until there is a vocabulary for what we
want time to mean and to tell us.

--
Steve Allen                    <sla at ucolick.org>              WGS-84 (GPS)
UCO/Lick Observatory--ISB 260  Natural Sciences II, Room 165  Lat  +36.99855
1156 High Street               Voice: +1 831 459 3046         Lng -122.06015
Santa Cruz, CA 95064           https://www.ucolick.org/~sla/  Hgt +250 m