Daylight Savings Time, Leap Years, ctime, and date

[Mike Shapiro]

In article <1006 at necis.UUCP> adamm at necis.UUCP (Adam Moskowitz) writes:
   ...
>  4) Was anything done to make it easier to rewrite the rules for DST?
>     (In other words, I don't want to recompile ctime and relink every
>     program that uses it the next time the congresscritters decide to
>     pass useless legislation.)
   ...

A couple of years ago, I looked at this problem while evaluating the
design of a ``time and attendance'' system (time clock recording
system) for a firm which produces business systems.  My solution at
that time was to have a table in a file indicating the dates that
daylight savings time would begin and end.  It still seems to me the
best solution.

I note on today's "Morning Edition" on PBS the discussion of a
possible change in the daylight savings time laws which would extend
the daylight time IN THE PACIFIC TIME ZONE ONLY until after the
election in presidential election years.  Now let's try to come up
with a programmable algorithm for that!
-- 

Michael Shapiro, Gould/General Systems Division (soon to be Encore)
15378 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128
(619)485-0910    UUCP: ...sdcsvax!ncr-sd!rb-dc1!shapiro