[time-nuts] FW: Bulletin C number 30

M. Warner Losh imp at bsdimp.com
Mon Jul 4 17:16:26 EDT 2005


In message: <6.2.3.4.0.20050704164921.03e4bc68 at mjs.alientech.net>
            mikes at flatsurface.com (Mike S) writes: 

: Much the same can be said of leap years (or more correctly, days).
: The mechanics are similar Feb 28>Feb 29>Mar 1 is fundamentally no
: different than 23:59:59>23:59:60>00:00:00, it's just adding to the
: appropriate count on an exception basis. The only difficulty is
: communicating the need and keeping track, since they occur
: "randomly." There is a mechanism in place for the former, and the
: latter isn't particularly difficult.

Leap days are predictable.  Leap seconds aren't.  Everyone deals with
leap days because they have been around for thousands of years.  Leap
seconds haven't and are random.  That's a fundamental difference.

Warner




More information about the time-nuts mailing list