Don Guinn wrote (in respect of my suggestions for primitive
representation of dates and time intervals):
> What about time zone?
Time intervals are independent of time zone. Dates are
of course dependent on time zone, and have been all along.
But differences of dates (time intervals) are independent
of time zone.
Perhaps a more important geographical consideration is the
dependence of time intervals on idiosyncracies like switching
to and from daylight saving time. Arithmetic of time intervals
would ideally handle such matters. Here in Australia the
treatment of daylight saving differs from state to state and
is even done in two different ways in New South Wales.
These complications would surely be better handled as
I suggest by the J interpreter rather than having them done
by functions that are complex to find and use and keep
up to date, and in any case are a trap for the unwary who
need protection.
Incidentally, the term "time interval" seems to me to be
too complex itself. Why not just "interval" ? My Oxford
English Dictionary confirms that this is usual, and even
denigrates as "formerly" the phrase "interval of time".
Of course there are spatial intervals (and this was the
original meaning of "interval" in Latin) but these are far
less frequent in ordinary life and there the term "spacing"
is normally used anyway.
Neville Holmes, P.O. Box 2412, Bakery Hill 3354, Victoria
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