Re: [LEAPSECS] building consensus

From: Rob Seaman <seaman_at_noao.edu>
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 08:35:39 -0700

On Jun 4, 2006, at 9:57 PM, M. Warner Losh wrote:

> leap days have a rule, while leap seconds are scheduled.

A schedule and a rule are the same thing, just regarded from
different historical perspectives. The "leap day rule" will most
certainly have to accommodate scheduling changes over the millennia.
On the other hand, I am sure we haven't exhaustively discussed
possible refinements to the leap second "scheduling algorithm". (And
ain't that a rule?) If we have to spend all our time fending off
this silly leap hour proposal, we'll never have the opportunity to
focus on rules and algorithms (not to mention technology and
infrastructure).

"Just don't do it" is not a rule.

The biggest difference between leap days and leap seconds is that
days are quantized.

Rob
NOAO
Received on Mon Jun 05 2006 - 08:37:04 PDT