edward@ukecc.UUCP (Edward C. Bennett) (10/26/85)
There is talk that congress is considering making Daylight Saving Time last four weeks longer starting next year. This will break Unix's time conversion functions since they automatically correct for the Daylight/Standard change. Is this going to be something that invidual SysProgs will have to fix on their own machines, or shall we anticipate it and organize some upgrade packages? -- Edward C. Bennett UUCP: ihnp4!cbosgd!ukma!ukecc!edward /* A charter member of the Scooter bunch */ "Goodnight M.A."
rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) (10/30/85)
> There is talk that congress is considering making Daylight Saving Time > last four weeks longer starting next year. This will break Unix's > time conversion functions since they automatically correct for the > Daylight/Standard change... Not just UNIX time conversion. There are many software systems (both at the OS level and applications) which dislike the idea of an hour vanishing mysteriously and reappearing as an hour's worth of duplicate times six months later. Write your Senators and Representatives. This futzing around with Daylight Savings Time is just another bit of tinkering to keep them from having to work on the hard problems. When all is said and done, our time system is quite arbitrary--if we can change the way things work by twiddling the clock (and only by twiddling the clock) we're screwed up. If it would be better to get up earlier, just get up earlier--you don't have to set your clock earlier and get up at the same indicated-time reading! We've already got one anomalous period in DST calculations; it's pretty obnoxious to have to toss in the code for another one. Personally, I think I'm just going to change over to GMT if they play with it any more. The passer-by who asks me for the time will have to sort it out! -- Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086 ...At last it's the real thing...or close enough to pretend.
gwyn@brl-tgr.ARPA (Doug Gwyn <gwyn>) (11/01/85)
> I'm just going to change over to GMT if they play with it any more.
That's essentially what NBS did for its WWV service when
Congress first passed the mandatory DST law.dave@uwvax.UUCP (Dave Cohrs) (11/01/85)
The solution, as has been mentioned before, is to let your congressman
know you are concerned. If that doesn't faze him, hint that the
computer corporation he has stock in will have to spend lots of money
updating software to handle the time change. That should do the trick.
--
Dave Cohrs
(608) 262-1204
...!{harvard,ihnp4,seismo,topaz}!uwvax!dave
dave@wisc-romano.arpa