[LEAPSECS] No leapseconds on trains

Poul-Henning Kamp phk at phk.freebsd.dk
Thu Nov 17 06:55:20 EST 2011


In message <4EC4F046.2030305 at ste-marie.org>, "Paul J. Ste. Marie" writes:

>On 11/17/2011 3:20 AM, Poul-Henning Kamp allegedly wrote:

>> Definition

>> A structured type expressing the absolute time in number

>> of seconds since Universal Co-ordinated Time (UTC), 00:00:00,

>> 1st January 1970

>

>[interpretation]

>

> > (Unix and ANSI-C format).

>

>[complaint]

>

>Do you believe the sentence or the parentheses?


The parantheses is normative, an integral part of the definitions text.

Reading the definition without the parantheses, and the parantheses
without the definition, like you do, have no rational basis, they must
be read together.

Doing that, it is immediately obvious to even the causual observer,
that the job of the parantheses is to settle any questions with
respect to leapseconds by saying "Like UNIX, we don't have them".

Belief or non-belief in paranthesis has nothing to do with it.

--
Poul-Henning Kamp | UNIX since Zilog Zeus 3.20
phk at FreeBSD.ORG | TCP/IP since RFC 956
FreeBSD committer | BSD since 4.3-tahoe
Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by incompetence.


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