Re: Patch for timezone handling in cvs log

[Larry Jones]

Bart Robinson writes:
> 
> These changes add to log/rlog a -z option, which specifies the
> timezone to use for output.  This is very similar to the -z option to
> RCS's rlog command.  It works for remote repositories as well.

No, it doesn't; it's broken in exactly the same way as RCS's rlog
command.  Timezone conversion *cannot* be done correctly on the server,
it *must* be done on the client.  The fatal flaw is that the offset from
GMT is not constant in any timezone that observes, or has at any time in
the past observed, "daylight saving time" (a.k.a. "summer time").  And
what's worse, the correct offset depends on the the particular time
being converted, not the current time.  Because timezone rules are so
baroque, it is not reasonable to expect the server to know about the
rules for the client's locale, only the client can be expected to know
them.

-Larry Jones

Mom must've put my cape in the wrong drawer. -- Calvin