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From: Klensin@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA (John C. Klensin)
Newsgroups: net.mail.headers
Subject: timezones
Message-ID: <3278@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 24-Aug-86 16:39:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-smok.3278
Posted: Sun Aug 24 16:39:58 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 25-Aug-86 19:26:15 EDT
Sender: news@brl-smoke.ARPA
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Jacob,
  The mailer agent at Multics canonicalizes dates and times into an
internal format when they pass through its clutches, then reinterprets
them into displayable local times (now EDT) as they go back out.  So,
something that came through here on its way to a MAILNET site like QZ
with a +/-nnnn time (or an RFC822-conforming named zone) will leave here
as EDT.
  Dates and times that cannot be canonicalized (i.e,.  that do not
conform to RFC822) result in a header being rebuilt from the envelope,
with obvious unfortunate consequences.

  I didn't do the software, nor make the rules, nor completely agree
that they are the right rules to have, but that is the way it works and
thought the explanation might be helpful.
   John