Ashley Yakeley wrote:
> ...
> This has led me to consider run-time methods of obtaining leap-second
> information, and how that might be standardised for use by software
> authors. For instance, I imagine a software package that established
> a well-known place in the directory hierarchy to find tai-utc.dat and
> perhaps other "earth data" files, and was responsible for keeping
> them up to date. Other software could then make use of the package
> without each having to implement their own mechanism.
>
> Does this strike people as worthwhile? Does anyone know of an
> existing effort along these lines?
> ...
Hi Ashley,
Welcome to the leap second list.
Yes, I think providing leap second information in easily accessible
form is worthwhile - and pretty much key to living with leap seconds
if the decision is made to continue with them. A while ago I proposed
the (ab)use of the DNS to do this.
http://www.edavies.nildram.co.uk/dns-leapseconds/
Obviously, that's not quite the same as having the information
available locally but there's an overlap. It would at least be a
source to automatically update the local information when a
system is connected.
Ed Davies.
Received on Mon Dec 25 2006 - 02:50:44 PST