From 59885b2fc5971061a8e9d8aa336563963badfa83 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Paul Eggert Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2021 13:27:15 -0700 Subject: [PROPOSED] Document more background of rolling leap seconds * zic.8: It looks like rolling leaps were rarely used in broadcasts. --- zic.8 | 8 +++++--- 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/zic.8 b/zic.8 index 592905e..3149440 100644 --- a/zic.8 +++ b/zic.8 @@ -710,13 +710,15 @@ or if the leap second time given by the other fields should be interpreted as local (wall clock) time. .PP -Rolling leap seconds were meant to accommodate older New York +Rolling leap seconds were implemented back when it was not +clear whether common practice was rolling or stationary, +with concerns that one would see Times Square ball drops where there'd be a .q "3... 2... 1... leap... Happy New Year" countdown, placing the leap second at midnight New York time rather than midnight UTC. -This countdown style has fallen out of favor -and rolling leap seconds are not used in practice; +However, this countdown style does not seem to have caught on, +which means rolling leap seconds are not used in practice; also, they are not supported if the .B \*-r option is used. -- 2.31.1