[LEAPSECS] What's the point?

[Paul Sheer]

Tony Finch <dot at dotat.at> :


> [...]

> 

> There is already code to handle leap seconds like timezones, but it is

> incompatible with POSIX and large amounts of other code and with NTP and

> other time broadcast systems.

> 


Of course you are exactly right.

Now, consider an application that wants to support BOTH posix
time and Olson's other time scale. This is NOT currently supported.
An application author has to choose one or the other.

SO THERE IS NO MIGRATION PATH.

the only compatibility functions are posix2time and time2posix
which are woefully inadequate.

To get this to work you need API changes to report both time
scales.

Even if you invent a new timescale, you need a migration path.

This means possibly extending NTP and Olson's library because
it only allows one timescale and this is pre-determined by
environment variables.

-paul