Re: [LEAPSECS] Software requirements

From: Ed Davies <ls_at_edavies.nildram.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2005 22:58:08 +0000

Rob Seaman wrote:
> ... Two options are currently being debated - leap
> seconds or leap hours. ...

Yes - but I thought there was the idea floating around that in
practice the powers that be would chicken out before actually
implementing the leap hour. Instead they'd leave international
civil time (or whatever you want to call it) leap free and
instead muck with the offsets between that and local civil
times (as is currently done for daylight saving).

My understanding is that the US proposal for leap hours is a bit
of bureaucratic subterfuge because UTC is supposed to be related
to UT. They'd have to get changes to higher level documents or
something to cancel that.

So I'd say there are really three options being debated:

1. leap seconds.

2a. leap hours.

2b. give lip service to leap hours for now but actually be leap
     free in practice.

The choice between 2a and 2b can be deferred for a couple of
centuries.

Ed.
Received on Wed Dec 21 2005 - 15:35:19 PST