Re: FreeBSD handles leapsecond correctly

2006-01-03 Thread David Benfell 
On Tue, 03 Jan 2006 12:50:38 +0100, Poul-Henning Kamp wrote:
 
 99.9% of the computers are used by people who are not scientists and
 engineers.
 
 99.999% of the computers do not track extra-terrestial objects.
 
 Wanna bet how the cost balances ?
 
You assume that the cost is borne individually for each of the 99.9%
of computers.  But there are relatively few operating systems -- the
actual development cost occurs there.

-- 
David Benfell, LCP
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Re: FreeBSD handles leapsecond correctly

2006-01-02 Thread David Benfell 
On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 20:54:00 +0100, Poul-Henning Kamp wrote:
 
 If there are no more leap seconds, POSIX doesn't have to specify
 how to deal with them.
 
Isn't this a rather unrealistic position?

You can quote POSIX til you're blue in the face, but leap seconds are
how UTC deals with the slowing of earth's rotation.  And to complain
about this seems about as sensible as complaining about leap days.

Now, if POSIX can't deal with leap seconds, then it seems like you
have a choice.  You can stick to UTC because that's the standard that
underlies civil time.  Or you can stick with POSIX and your system
clock can progressively gain time.

It strikes me that POSIX purity here insists on a deviance from
reality.  And that doesn't strike me as particularly sane.

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David Benfell, LCP
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