Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2026 16:18:12 -0400
From: Tim Parenti via tz <[email protected]>
Message-ID:
<cafpi07y8rsmyx5lvbk8huggmeswekxp8vuvhmsgownu8ha4...@mail.gmail.com>
| Specifically, the language you cite from theory.html exists to
| remind us of our archival role, and that we should follow *de facto* usage
| for abbreviations in a way that tends to lag, not lead.
This is a nice objective, but it ignores reality - unless some other source
for the abbreviations shows up (and CLDR doesn't really impact enough places
to make a huge difference) what tzdata supplies decides what will be the
common de facto usage - so the policy is effectively for tzdata to follow
what tzdata has already done.
I'd suggest a better approach, when a clear demonstrated desire to make
the abbreviation be a particular string exists, that tzdata should assist
in that endeavour, rather than fight against it, by installing the
abbreviation that has been requested (or legislated, or is clearly
derivable from a legislated long zone name). If it turns out
after doing that that something different becomes popular, which I
suspect would be unlikely, then it can be changed.
Consider for a minute what would happen should the US State Dept
demand (or US Congress, or the California legislature) decide that California
will also use UTC-7 year round, and legislate that the abbreviation
shall be CAT (CA Time). Even perhaps impose a penalty for anyone
using anything different. What would tzdata do then, just claim
"that doesn't apply to us, we're going to use MST instead". Really?
What if Donald Trump decided to de-fund UCLA, and impose tariffs of
200% on anything UCLA wants to purchase ... would tzdata just say
"who are you to tell us what to do?" Would that fly?
So, I'd suggest PCT (for BC) and if it is what they want, MBT for Manitoba,
and whatever the Albertan's picked (ABT?) for Alberta. If the NWT
have picked a name for their zone, use it as well. What harm can it
possibly do? These strings are largely just noise, but people like
their noise to be of a particular timbre.
Regions near borders using the zone of the other side of the border,
which actually need a zone of their own, rather than just using the
normal one for the "other side", should just use the other side's
abbreviation, whatever that is, that is how they will think of it.
"Even though we're on the Alberta side of the border, we're using PCT
because we interact with British Columbians more than other Albertans".
kre
