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From: asami@kddlab.UUCP (TOHRU ASAMI )
Newsgroups: net.news,net.mail
Subject: Timezones For Worldwide Networks
Message-ID: <143@kddlab.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 27-Jun-85 14:01:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: kddlab.143
Posted: Thu Jun 27 14:01:38 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 24-Jun-85 03:57:19 EDT
Organization: Kokusai Denshin Denwa Co., Ltd. (Tokyo)
Lines: 115
Xref: watmath net.news:3472 net.mail:895


I think the current version of timezone settings will not be
suitable for the future networks. Here I show the timezones listed
in /usr/src/lib/libc/gen/timezone.c:

	-1*60, "MET", "MET DST",	/* Middle European */
	-2*60, "EET", "EET DST",	/* Eastern European */
	4*60, "AST", "ADT",		/* Atlantic */
	5*60, "EST", "EDT",		/* Eastern */
	6*60, "CST", "CDT",		/* Central */
	7*60, "MST", "MDT",		/* Mountain */
	8*60, "PST", "PDT",		/* Pacific */
	0, "GMT", 0,			/* Greenwich */
	0*60, "WET", "WET DST",		/* Western European */
	-10*60, "EST", "EST",		/* Aust: Eastern */
	-10*60+30, "CST", "CST",	/* Aust: Central */
	-8*60, "WST", 0,		/* Aust: Western */

Here only 12 timezones are considered. I tried to put JST (Japan
Standard Time, which is -9 hours from GMT), and found it locally
works very well. However when I use JST in news or mails, every
foreign site cannot interpret JST correctly!

Here I show another example, which is listed in getdate.y in netnews:

	{"nst", ZONE, 3 HRS + HALFHR},		/* Newfoundland */
	{"n.s.t.", ZONE, 3 HRS + HALFHR},
	{"ast", ZONE, 4 HRS},		/* Atlantic */
	{"a.s.t.", ZONE, 4 HRS},
	{"adt", DAYZONE, 4 HRS},
	{"a.d.t.", DAYZONE, 4 HRS},
	{"est", ZONE, 5 HRS},		/* Eastern */
	{"e.s.t.", ZONE, 5 HRS},
	{"edt", DAYZONE, 5 HRS},
	{"e.d.t.", DAYZONE, 5 HRS},
	{"cst", ZONE, 6 HRS},		/* Central */
	{"c.s.t.", ZONE, 6 HRS},
	{"cdt", DAYZONE, 6 HRS},
	{"c.d.t.", DAYZONE, 6 HRS},
	{"mst", ZONE, 7 HRS},		/* Mountain */
	{"m.s.t.", ZONE, 7 HRS},
	{"mdt", DAYZONE, 7 HRS},
	{"m.d.t.", DAYZONE, 7 HRS},
	{"pst", ZONE, 8 HRS},		/* Pacific */
	{"p.s.t.", ZONE, 8 HRS},
	{"pdt", DAYZONE, 8 HRS},
	{"p.d.t.", DAYZONE, 8 HRS},
	{"yst", ZONE, 9 HRS},		/* Yukon */
	{"y.s.t.", ZONE, 9 HRS},
	{"ydt", DAYZONE, 9 HRS},
	{"y.d.t.", DAYZONE, 9 HRS},
	{"hst", ZONE, 10 HRS},		/* Hawaii */
	{"h.s.t.", ZONE, 10 HRS},
	{"hdt", DAYZONE, 10 HRS},
	{"h.d.t.", DAYZONE, 10 HRS},
	{"bst", ZONE, 11 HRS},		/* Bering */
	{"b.s.t.", ZONE, 11 HRS},
	{"bdt", DAYZONE, 11 HRS},
	{"b.d.t.", DAYZONE, 11 HRS},

	{"gmt", ZONE, 0 HRS},
	{"g.m.t.", ZONE, 0 HRS},

	{"aest", ZONE, -10 HRS},	/* Australian Eastern Time */
	{"a.e.s.t.", ZONE, -10 HRS},
	{"aesst", DAYZONE, -10 HRS},	/* Australian Eastern Summer Time */
	{"a.e.s.s.t.", DAYZONE, -10 HRS},
	{"acst", ZONE, -(9 HRS + HALFHR)},	/* Australian Central Time */
	{"a.c.s.t.", ZONE, -(9 HRS + HALFHR)},
	{"acsst", DAYZONE, -(9 HRS + HALFHR)},	/* Australian Central Summer */
	{"a.c.s.s.t.", DAYZONE, -(9 HRS + HALFHR)},
	{"awst", ZONE, -8 HRS},		/* Australian Western Time */
	{"a.w.s.t.", ZONE, -8 HRS},	/* (no daylight time there, I'm told */

This example also show the designer did not consider UNIX systems
used outside the US, Europe, and Australia. 

Now USENET is spread over many contries. We have come to the point to
think about more reasonable timezone settings for the worldwide usage.

I have a watch, called "WORLD TIME", made by SEIKO. That is a small
watch. But even that small watch can display the time in any of the 
following 20 cities:
	City			Hours From GMT
	LONDON			  0
	PARIS,ROME		 -1
	CAIRO			 -2
	MOSCOW			 -3
	DUBAI			 -4
	KARACHI			 -5
	DELHI			 -5 1/2
	BANGKOK			 -7
	HONG KONG		 -8
	TOKYO			 -9
	SYDNEY			-10
	NOUMEA			-11
	HONOLULU		 10
	LOS ANGELES		  8
	DENVER			  7
	CHICAGO			  6
	NEW YORK		  5
	CARACAS			  4
	RIO DE JANEIRO	  3
This watch also understands in what cities the daylight saving time is
used in summer. In this meaning, a UNIX timezone database is a little bit 
behind of even a small watch!

I think we have to set up a program of timezones that can cover all of
the world since it is very inconvenient to use GMT. How can you imagine
someone has to type 1:00 am when it's morning!

Tohru Asami

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