[LEAPSECS] ISO Influence

[Daniel R. Tobias]

On 19 Dec 2010 at 9:58, Poul-Henning Kamp wrote:


> I don't think using Y2K metrics to estimate reviews for leap-second

> trouble is valid, it would underestimate the effort needed, as both

> Warner and I have learned the hard way:  The issues involved are

> much trickier than a mere numeric rollover.


On the other hand, the century rollover is a once-in-a-lifetime event 
that hadn't happened before within the computer age (maybe a few 
Hollerith punch-card systems got confused by the 1899-1900 rollover). 
Leap seconds have happened dozens of times since the 1970s, were 
happening regularly while the current computing standards were being 
devised, continued to happen regularly while current systems were 
implemented, deployed, and used, and will continue to happen 
regularly for at least the next few years even if a plan is adopted 
to ultimately stop them.  Thus, it's silly to treat leap seconds as 
strictly a future event with unexpected consequences.


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