Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2005 10:02:19 -0600 (MDT) From: "M. Warner Losh" <imp@bsdimp.com> To: phk@phk.freebsd.dk Cc: cvs-src@FreeBSD.org, src-committers@FreeBSD.org, andre@FreeBSD.org, cvs-all@FreeBSD.org, bde@zeta.org.au Subject: Re: cvs commit: src/usr.bin/vmstat vmstat.c src/usr.bin/w w.c Message-ID: <20051021.100219.111271614.imp@bsdimp.com> In-Reply-To: <30677.1129909322@critter.freebsd.dk> References: <20051021.093234.116607170.imp@bsdimp.com> <30677.1129909322@critter.freebsd.dk>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
In message: <30677.1129909322@critter.freebsd.dk>
"Poul-Henning Kamp" <phk@phk.freebsd.dk> writes:
: In message <20051021.093234.116607170.imp@bsdimp.com>, "M. Warner Losh" writes:
:
: >It is a problem. If I boot a system today, the authors of the
: >software still cannot know the example that I gave. Since there's no
: >leap second table by default, the system may get the answer wrong.
: >That's what is so evil about leap seconds. You can't plan more than 6
: >months into the future.
:
: It's worse than 6 months, just because IERS says there will or wont
: be a leap second in 6 months time doesn't mean that they can't change
: their mind later on, technically it is only one month ahead.
:
: Fortunately, this is not relevant with the current geophysics.
True. The international standard on leap seconds does say they can
happen at the end of any month, with June/Dec being primary and
Mar/Sept being secondary. If current models are accurate, we'll need
more than two leap seconds a year in the next century or so. We'll
need more than 12 a century or so after that. And more than one a day
in a few thousand years. Clearly a better way to sychronize time will
be needed at some point. I vote steering the earth so that its
rotation is restored to its true length :-)
Still haven't mentioned that deep and abiding love for leap seconds...
Warner
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20051021.100219.111271614.imp>