Re: Inspiration for a better calendar package?

["Dmitry A. Kazakov" <mailbox@dmitry-kazakov.de>]

On Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:59:02 +0100, Wilhelm Spickermann wrote:

> On the other hand, we can make an appointment for the
> 17-aug-2023, 10:00 UTC and this is also a somehow clearly
> specified point in time, as we would be able to meet at that
> time.

No we cannot. 17-aug-2023, 10:00 UTC has no meaning. We don't know if this
date will ever exist.

> But no one is able to convert this specification to
> a "real time" now. (That's why I refuse to call it UTC.)

This specification does not specify time. It is a text pattern which may
match or not some time point(s) in the future. It exactly same as "when
leaves will turn red."

> The resolution of "one nominial minute" (_not_ a physical unit)
> for wall clock time was chosen, because it's the finest usable
> resultion. We can tell that we have 4 nominal minutes between
> 31-dec-2044 23:59:58 and 01-jan-2045 00:00:02. But we cannot
> express this difference in seconds (or in the physical unit "one
> minute"). We will hopefully be able to do that in summer 2044 or
> perhaps earlier, when the leap seconds are eliminated.

Minute is a physical unit. Political minute is not. We just do not need the
latter, because it does not satisfy some fundamental requirements of a
physical unit, like anisotropy in 4D space. Why bother with it then?

-- 
Regards,
Dmitry A. Kazakov
http://www.dmitry-kazakov.de