[ntpwg] Further to the timestamping issue

[Rob Seaman]

> This discussion should go to LEAPSECS and leave NTPWG.

I'm copying it over there.  Please remove ntpwg from further replies.

> POSIX specs for zoneinfo already require enough complexity to handle  
> the leap seconds, and the mechanisms for updating the zoneinfo files  
> are well tested.  All that's needed is to rename the time scale used  
> in broadcasts, NTP, and POSIX time_t.

Just to be clear, the realization of UTC would then occur locally via  
zoneinfo mediated leap seconds.  This is quite different from the  
notion of letting the timezones slosh around.

> All of the missing bits would be much easier to solve by putting  
> leap seconds in zoneinfo than by messing with NTP.

If we could escape from the artificial crisis generated from the  
relentless ITU shenanigans, we would have time to focus on  
characterizing the problem before suggesting solutions.

Rob