[LEAPSECS] Crunching Bulletin B numbers (POSIX time)

[Paul Sheer]

> 

> I see that the UK is now cranking up for CET: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12517762

> 

> Given that most ASCII timestamps are in "local" time, presumably leap

> seconds are no more evil than changes in timezone: both will throw off

> the calculations of these hypothetical isolated machines.

> 



Local ascii timestamps have a standard way to include GMT offset
information.

So even if the offset is wrong, conversion to and from time_t gives
back the same result. It merely displays incorrectly.



Ascii timestamps do not have a way to include leap second information.

Inclusion of leap second information into ascii timestamps is another
solution to the leap second problem which I was going to propose.



Also, these isolated machines are not hypothetical. Even network
connected machines are often not time syncronized, yet still deal
with timestamp data generated by other machines. They are "isolated"
in that sense.

Any solution predicated on FORCING all machines to be time syncronized
is not a solution acceptable to Posix.

-paul