TOPAZ:usenet@ucbvax.UUCP (07/16/83)
USENET 2.10.1 Bug Report - getdate.y While browsing through getdate.y (2.5 3/3/83) distributed with USENET version 2.10.1 I noticed that PST (Pacific Standard Time) was defined as "ZONE, 8 HRS" in table mztab and that "u" (Military "Uniform" Time Zone) was defined as "ZONE, -8 HRS" in table milzone. I have spent several years working as a Navy Radioman in California and I know that the Pacific Standard Time Zone is the same as the military Uniform Time Zone (ie: UT = GMT = Z = 0 = PST + 8 = U + 8). Assuming that the civilian time zone table "mztab" is correct and both tables are being used in the same way, then the "milzone" table thinks that the sun comes up in the West instead of the East. The fix appears to be: In the "milzone" table, reverse the sign of all HRS values (except 0 HRS). I am not sure how these tables are being used, and all things (especially time zones) being relative, I could be wrong. Prehaps the "milzone" table is correct and the "mztab" table is wrong. It should be noted that RFC 822 only defines the "Z" (Zulu) time zone; so this may no longer be a significant bug provided the "mztab" table is correct. (RFC 733 allowed all military time zones to be used, RFC 822 only allows Z to be used.) Bill Wells U C Berkeley