1c1
< # @(#)etcetera 7.10
---
> # @(#)etcetera 7.11
27,30c27,44
< # We use POSIX-style signedness in the names and output,
< # internal-style signedness in the specifications.
< # For example, TZ=Etc/GMT+4 corresponds to 4 hours _behind_ UTC;
< # it is equivalent to TZ=GMT+4, which is implemented directly as per POSIX.
---
> # We use POSIX-style signs in the Zone names and the output abbreviations,
> # even though this is the opposite of what many people expect.
> # POSIX has positive signs west of Greenwich, but many people expect
> # positive signs east of Greenwich. For example, TZ='Etc/GMT+4' uses
> # the abbreviation "GMT+4" and corresponds to 4 hours behind UTC
> # (i.e. west of Greenwich) even though many people would expect it to
> # mean 4 hours ahead of UTC (i.e. east of Greenwich).
> #
> # In the draft 5 of POSIX 1003.1-200x, the angle bracket notation
> # (which is not yet supported by the tz code) allows for
> # TZ='<GMT-4>+4'; if you want time zone abbreviations conforming to
> # ISO 8601 you can use TZ='<-0400>+4'. Thus the commonly-expected
> # offset is kept within the angle bracket (and is used for display)
> # while the POSIX sign is kept outside the angle bracket (and is used
> # for calculation).
> #
> # Do not use a TZ setting like TZ='GMT+4', which is four hours behind
> # GMT but uses the completely misleading abbreviation "GMT".