# $OpenBSD: australasia,v 1.14 2002/04/04 18:51:20 millert Exp $ # @(#)australasia 7.66 # This file also includes Pacific islands. # Notes are at the end of this file ############################################################################### # Australia # Please see the notes below for the controversy about "EST" versus "AEST" etc. # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER/S Rule Aus 1917 only - Jan 1 0:01 1:00 - Rule Aus 1917 only - Mar 25 2:00 0 - Rule Aus 1942 only - Jan 1 2:00 1:00 - Rule Aus 1942 only - Mar 29 2:00 0 - Rule Aus 1942 only - Sep 27 2:00 1:00 - Rule Aus 1943 1944 - Mar lastSun 2:00 0 - Rule Aus 1943 only - Oct 3 2:00 1:00 - # Go with Whitman and the Australian National Standards Commission, which # says W Australia didn't use DST in 1943/1944. Ignore Whitman's claim that # 1944/1945 was just like 1943/1944. # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] # Northern Territory Zone Australia/Darwin 8:43:20 - LMT 1895 Feb 9:00 - CST 1899 May 9:30 Aus CST # Western Australia Zone Australia/Perth 7:43:24 - LMT 1895 Dec 8:00 Aus WST 1943 Jul 8:00 - WST 1974 Oct lastSun 2:00s 8:00 1:00 WST 1975 Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 8:00 - WST 1983 Oct lastSun 2:00s 8:00 1:00 WST 1984 Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 8:00 - WST 1991 Nov 17 2:00s 8:00 1:00 WST 1992 Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 8:00 - WST # Queensland # # From Alex Livingston (1996-11-01): # I have heard or read more than once that some resort islands off the coast # of Queensland chose to keep observing daylight-saving time even after # Queensland ceased to. # # From Paul Eggert (1996-11-22): # IATA SSIM (1993-02/1994-09) say that the Holiday Islands (Hayman, Lindeman, # Hamilton) observed DST for two years after the rest of Queensland stopped. # Hamilton is the largest, but there is also a Hamilton in Victoria, # so use Lindeman. # # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER/S Rule AQ 1971 only - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AQ 1972 only - Feb lastSun 2:00s 0 - Rule AQ 1989 1991 - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AQ 1990 1992 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 0 - Rule Holiday 1992 1993 - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule Holiday 1993 1994 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 0 - Zone Australia/Brisbane 10:12:08 - LMT 1895 10:00 Aus EST 1971 10:00 AQ EST Zone Australia/Lindeman 9:55:56 - LMT 1895 10:00 Aus EST 1971 10:00 AQ EST 1992 Jul 10:00 Holiday EST # South Australia # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER/S Rule AS 1971 1985 - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AS 1986 only - Oct 19 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AS 1987 max - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AS 1972 only - Feb 27 2:00s 0 - Rule AS 1973 1985 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 0 - Rule AS 1986 1989 - Mar Sun>=15 2:00s 0 - Rule AS 1990 only - Mar Sun>=18 2:00s 0 - Rule AS 1991 only - Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 0 - Rule AS 1992 only - Mar Sun>=18 2:00s 0 - Rule AS 1993 only - Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 0 - Rule AS 1994 only - Mar Sun>=18 2:00s 0 - Rule AS 1995 max - Mar lastSun 2:00s 0 - # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Australia/Adelaide 9:14:20 - LMT 1895 Feb 9:00 - CST 1899 May 9:30 Aus CST 1971 9:30 AS CST # Tasmania # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER/S Rule AT 1967 only - Oct Sun>=1 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AT 1968 only - Mar lastSun 2:00s 0 - Rule AT 1968 1985 - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AT 1969 1971 - Mar Sun>=8 2:00s 0 - Rule AT 1972 only - Feb lastSun 2:00s 0 - Rule AT 1973 1981 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 0 - Rule AT 1982 1983 - Mar lastSun 2:00s 0 - Rule AT 1984 1986 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 0 - Rule AT 1986 only - Oct Sun>=15 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AT 1987 1990 - Mar Sun>=15 2:00s 0 - Rule AT 1987 only - Oct Sun>=22 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AT 1988 1990 - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AT 1991 1999 - Oct Sun>=1 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AT 1991 max - Mar lastSun 2:00s 0 - Rule AT 2000 only - Aug lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AT 2001 max - Oct Sun>=1 2:00s 1:00 - # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Australia/Hobart 9:49:16 - LMT 1895 Sep 10:00 - EST 1916 Oct 1 2:00 10:00 1:00 EST 1917 Feb 10:00 Aus EST 1967 10:00 AT EST # Victoria # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER/S Rule AV 1971 1985 - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AV 1972 only - Feb lastSun 2:00s 0 - Rule AV 1973 1985 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 0 - Rule AV 1986 1990 - Mar Sun>=15 2:00s 0 - Rule AV 1986 1987 - Oct Sun>=15 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AV 1988 1999 - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AV 1991 1994 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 0 - Rule AV 1995 max - Mar lastSun 2:00s 0 - Rule AV 2000 only - Aug lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AV 2001 max - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Australia/Melbourne 9:39:52 - LMT 1895 Feb 10:00 Aus EST 1971 10:00 AV EST # New South Wales # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER/S Rule AN 1971 1985 - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AN 1972 only - Feb 27 2:00s 0 - Rule AN 1973 1981 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 0 - Rule AN 1982 only - Apr Sun>=1 2:00s 0 - Rule AN 1983 1985 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 0 - Rule AN 1986 1989 - Mar Sun>=15 2:00s 0 - Rule AN 1986 only - Oct 19 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AN 1987 1999 - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AN 1990 1995 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 0 - Rule AN 1996 max - Mar lastSun 2:00s 0 - Rule AN 2000 only - Aug lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - Rule AN 2001 max - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 - # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Australia/Sydney 10:04:52 - LMT 1895 Feb 10:00 Aus EST 1971 10:00 AN EST Zone Australia/Broken_Hill 9:25:48 - LMT 1895 Feb 10:00 - EST 1896 Aug 23 9:00 - CST 1899 May 9:30 Aus CST 1971 9:30 AN CST 2000 9:30 AS CST # Lord Howe Island # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER/S Rule LH 1981 1984 - Oct lastSun 2:00 1:00 - Rule LH 1982 1985 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00 0 - Rule LH 1985 only - Oct lastSun 2:00 0:30 - Rule LH 1986 1989 - Mar Sun>=15 2:00 0 - Rule LH 1986 only - Oct 19 2:00 0:30 - Rule LH 1987 1999 - Oct lastSun 2:00 0:30 - Rule LH 1990 1995 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00 0 - Rule LH 1996 max - Mar lastSun 2:00 0 - Rule LH 2000 only - Aug lastSun 2:00 0:30 - Rule LH 2001 max - Oct lastSun 2:00 0:30 - Zone Australia/Lord_Howe 10:36:20 - LMT 1895 Feb 10:00 - EST 1981 Mar 10:30 LH LHST # Australian miscellany # # Ashmore Is, Cartier # no indigenous inhabitants; only seasonal caretakers # like Australia/Perth, says Turner # # Coral Sea Is # no indigenous inhabitants; only meteorologists # no information # # Macquarie # permanent occupation (scientific station) since 1948; # sealing and penguin oil station operated 1888/1917 # like Australia/Hobart, says Turner # Christmas # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Indian/Christmas 7:02:52 - LMT 1895 Feb 7:00 - CXT # Christmas Island Time # Cook Is # From Shanks: # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER/S Rule Cook 1978 only - Nov 12 0:00 0:30 HS Rule Cook 1979 1991 - Mar Sun>=1 0:00 0 - Rule Cook 1979 1990 - Oct lastSun 0:00 0:30 HS # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Rarotonga -10:39:04 - LMT 1901 # Avarua -10:30 - CKT 1978 Nov 12 # Cook Is Time -10:00 Cook CK%sT # Cocos # From USNO (1989): # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Indian/Cocos 6:30 - CCT # Cocos Islands Time # Fiji # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER/S Rule Fiji 1998 1999 - Nov Sun>=1 2:00 1:00 S Rule Fiji 1999 2000 - Feb lastSun 3:00 0 - # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Fiji 11:53:40 - LMT 1915 Oct 26 # Suva 12:00 Fiji FJ%sT # Fiji Time # French Polynesia # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Gambier -8:59:48 - LMT 1912 Oct # Rikitea -9:00 - GAMT # Gambier Time Zone Pacific/Marquesas -9:18:00 - LMT 1912 Oct -9:30 - MART # Marquesas Time Zone Pacific/Tahiti -9:58:16 - LMT 1912 Oct # Papeete -10:00 - TAHT # Tahiti Time # Clipperton (near North America) is administered from French Polynesia; # it is uninhabited. # Guam # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Guam -14:21:00 - LMT 1844 Dec 31 9:39:00 - LMT 1901 # Agana 10:00 - GST 2000 Dec 23 # Guam 10:00 - ChST # Chamorro Standard Time # Kiribati # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Tarawa 11:32:04 - LMT 1901 # Bairiki 12:00 - GILT # Gilbert Is Time Zone Pacific/Enderbury -11:24:20 - LMT 1901 -12:00 - PHOT 1979 Oct # Phoenix Is Time -11:00 - PHOT 1995 13:00 - PHOT Zone Pacific/Kiritimati -10:29:20 - LMT 1901 -10:40 - LINT 1979 Oct # Line Is Time -10:00 - LINT 1995 14:00 - LINT # N Mariana Is # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Saipan -14:17:00 - LMT 1844 Dec 31 9:43:00 - LMT 1901 9:00 - MPT 1969 Oct # N Mariana Is Time 10:00 - MPT 2000 Dec 23 10:00 - ChST # Chamorro Standard Time # Marshall Is # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Majuro 11:24:48 - LMT 1901 11:00 - MHT 1969 Oct # Marshall Islands Time 12:00 - MHT Zone Pacific/Kwajalein 11:09:20 - LMT 1901 11:00 - MHT 1969 Oct -12:00 - KWAT 1993 Aug 20 # Kwajalein Time 12:00 - MHT # Micronesia # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Yap 9:12:32 - LMT 1901 # Colonia 9:00 - YAPT 1969 Oct # Yap Time 10:00 - YAPT Zone Pacific/Truk 10:07:08 - LMT 1901 10:00 - TRUT # Truk Time Zone Pacific/Ponape 10:32:52 - LMT 1901 # Kolonia 11:00 - PONT # Ponape Time Zone Pacific/Kosrae 10:51:56 - LMT 1901 11:00 - KOST 1969 Oct # Kosrae Time 12:00 - KOST 1999 11:00 - KOST # Nauru # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Nauru 11:07:40 - LMT 1921 Jan 15 # Uaobe 11:30 - NRT 1942 Mar 15 # Nauru Time 9:00 - JST 1944 Aug 15 11:30 - NRT 1979 May 12:00 - NRT # New Caledonia # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER/S Rule NC 1977 1978 - Dec Sun>=1 0:00 1:00 S Rule NC 1978 1979 - Feb 27 0:00 0 - Rule NC 1996 only - Dec 1 2:00s 1:00 S # Shanks says the following was at 2:00; go with IATA. Rule NC 1997 only - Mar 2 2:00s 0 - # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Noumea 11:05:48 - LMT 1912 Jan 13 11:00 NC NC%sT ############################################################################### # New Zealand # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER/S # Shanks gives 1927 Nov 6 - 1928 Mar 4, 1928 Oct 14 - 1929 Mar 17, # 1929 Oct 13 - 1930 Mar 16; go with Whitman. Rule NZ 1927 only - Nov 26 2:00 0:30 HD Rule NZ 1928 1929 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00 0 S Rule NZ 1928 only - Nov 4 2:00 0:30 HD Rule NZ 1929 only - Oct 30 2:00 0:30 HD Rule NZ 1930 1933 - Mar Sun>=15 2:00 0 S Rule NZ 1930 1933 - Oct Sun>=8 2:00 0:30 HD # Whitman says DST went on and off during war years, and the base UT offset # didn't change until 1945 Apr 30; go with Shanks. Rule NZ 1934 1940 - Apr lastSun 2:00 0 S Rule NZ 1934 1939 - Sep lastSun 2:00 0:30 HD Rule NZ 1974 only - Nov 3 2:00s 1:00 D Rule NZ 1975 1988 - Oct lastSun 2:00s 1:00 D Rule NZ 1989 only - Oct 8 2:00s 1:00 D Rule NZ 1990 max - Oct Sun>=1 2:00s 1:00 D Rule NZ 1975 only - Feb 23 2:00s 0 S Rule NZ 1976 1989 - Mar Sun>=1 2:00s 0 S Rule NZ 1990 max - Mar Sun>=15 2:00s 0 S Rule Chatham 1990 max - Oct Sun>=1 2:45s 1:00 D Rule Chatham 1991 max - Mar Sun>=15 2:45s 0 S # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Auckland 11:39:04 - LMT 1868 11:30 NZ NZ%sT 1940 Sep 29 2:00 12:00 NZ NZ%sT Zone Pacific/Chatham 12:45 Chatham CHA%sT # Auckland Is # uninhabited; Maori and Moriori, colonial settlers, pastoralists, sealers, # and scientific personnel have wintered # Campbell I # minor whaling stations operated 1909/1914 # scientific station operated 1941/1995; # previously whalers, sealers, pastoralists, and scientific personnel wintered # was probably like Pacific/Auckland ############################################################################### # Niue # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Niue -11:19:40 - LMT 1901 # Alofi -11:20 - NUT 1951 # Niue Time -11:30 - NUT 1978 Oct 1 -11:00 - NUT # Norfolk # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Norfolk 11:11:52 - LMT 1901 # Kingston 11:12 - NMT 1951 # Norfolk Mean Time 11:30 - NFT # Norfolk Time # Palau (Belau) # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Palau 8:57:56 - LMT 1901 # Koror 9:00 - PWT # Palau Time # Papua New Guinea # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Port_Moresby 9:48:40 - LMT 1880 9:48:32 - PMMT 1895 # Port Moresby Mean Time 10:00 - PGT # Papua New Guinea Time # Pitcairn # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Pitcairn -8:40:20 - LMT 1901 # Adamstown -8:30 - PNT 1998 Apr 27 00:00 -8:00 - PST # Pitcairn Standard Time # American Samoa Zone Pacific/Pago_Pago 12:37:12 - LMT 1879 Jul 5 -11:22:48 - LMT 1911 -11:30 - SAMT 1950 # Samoa Time -11:00 - NST 1967 Apr # N=Nome -11:00 - BST 1983 Nov 30 # B=Bering -11:00 - SST # S=Samoa # W Samoa Zone Pacific/Apia 12:33:04 - LMT 1879 Jul 5 -11:26:56 - LMT 1911 -11:30 - SAMT 1950 # Samoa Time -11:00 - WST # W Samoa Time # Solomon Is # excludes Bougainville, for which see Papua New Guinea # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Guadalcanal 10:39:48 - LMT 1912 Oct # Honiara 11:00 - SBT # Solomon Is Time # Tokelau Is # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Fakaofo -11:24:56 - LMT 1901 -10:00 - TKT # Tokelau Time # Tonga # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER/S Rule Tonga 1999 only - Oct 7 2:00s 1:00 S Rule Tonga 2000 only - Mar 19 2:00s 0 - Rule Tonga 2000 max - Nov Sun>=1 2:00 1:00 S Rule Tonga 2001 max - Jan lastSun 2:00 0 - # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Tongatapu 12:19:20 - LMT 1901 12:20 - TOT 1941 # Tonga Time 13:00 - TOT 1999 13:00 Tonga TO%sT # Tuvalu # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Funafuti 11:56:52 - LMT 1901 12:00 - TVT # Tuvalu Time # US minor outlying islands # Howland, Baker # uninhabited since World War II # no information; was probably like Pacific/Pago_Pago # Jarvis # uninhabited since 1958 # no information; was probably like Pacific/Kiritimati # Johnston # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Johnston -10:00 - HST # Kingman # uninhabited # Midway Zone Pacific/Midway -11:49:28 - LMT 1901 -11:00 - NST 1967 Apr # N=Nome -11:00 - BST 1983 Nov 30 # B=Bering -11:00 - SST # S=Samoa # Palmyra # uninhabited since World War II; was probably like Pacific/Kiritimati # Wake # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Wake 11:06:28 - LMT 1901 12:00 - WAKT # Wake Time # Vanuatu # Rule NAME FROM TO TYPE IN ON AT SAVE LETTER/S Rule Vanuatu 1983 only - Sep 25 0:00 1:00 S Rule Vanuatu 1984 1991 - Mar Sun>=23 0:00 0 - Rule Vanuatu 1984 only - Oct 23 0:00 1:00 S Rule Vanuatu 1985 1991 - Sep Sun>=23 0:00 1:00 S Rule Vanuatu 1992 1993 - Jan Sun>=23 0:00 0 - Rule Vanuatu 1992 only - Oct Sun>=23 0:00 1:00 S # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Efate 11:13:16 - LMT 1912 Jan 13 # Vila 11:00 Vanuatu VU%sT # Vanuatu Time # Wallis and Futuna # Zone NAME GMTOFF RULES FORMAT [UNTIL] Zone Pacific/Wallis 12:15:20 - LMT 1901 12:00 - WFT # Wallis & Futuna Time ############################################################################### # NOTES # This data is by no means authoritative; if you think you know better, # go ahead and edit the file (and please send any changes to # tz@elsie.nci.nih.gov for general use in the future). # From Paul Eggert (1999-10-29): # A good source for time zone historical data outside the U.S. is # Thomas G. Shanks, The International Atlas (5th edition), # San Diego: ACS Publications, Inc. (1999). # # Gwillim Law writes that a good source # for recent time zone data is the International Air Transport # Association's Standard Schedules Information Manual (IATA SSIM), # published semiannually. Law sent in several helpful summaries # of the IATA's data after 1990. # # Except where otherwise noted, Shanks is the source for entries through 1990, # and IATA SSIM is the source for entries after 1990. # # Another source occasionally used is Edward W. Whitman, World Time Differences, # Whitman Publishing Co, 2 Niagara Av, Ealing, London (undated), which # I found in the UCLA library. # # A reliable and entertaining source about time zones is # Derek Howse, Greenwich time and longitude, Philip Wilson Publishers (1997). # # I invented the abbreviations marked `*' in the following table; # the rest are from earlier versions of this file, or from other sources. # Corrections are welcome! # std dst # LMT Local Mean Time # 8:00 WST WST Western Australia # 9:00 JST Japan # 9:30 CST CST Central Australia # 10:00 EST EST Eastern Australia # 10:00 ChST Chamorro # 10:30 LHST LHST Lord Howe* # 12:00 NZST NZDT New Zealand # 12:45 CHAST CHADT Chatham* # -11:00 SST Samoa # -10:00 HST Hawaii # - 8:00 PST Pitcairn* # # See the `northamerica' file for Hawaii. # See the `southamerica' file for Easter I and the Galapagos Is. ############################################################################### # Australia # # Australia's Daylight Saving Times # , by Margaret Turner, summarizes daylight saving issues in Australia. # From John Mackin (1991-03-06): # We in Australia have _never_ referred to DST as `daylight' time. # It is called `summer' time. Now by a happy coincidence, `summer' # and `standard' happen to start with the same letter; hence, the # abbreviation does _not_ change... # The legislation does not actually define abbreviations, at least # in this State, but the abbreviation is just commonly taken to be the # initials of the phrase, and the legislation here uniformly uses # the phrase `summer time' and does not use the phrase `daylight # time'. # Announcers on the Commonwealth radio network, the ABC (for Australian # Broadcasting Commission), use the phrases `Eastern Standard Time' # or `Eastern Summer Time'. (Note, though, that as I say in the # current australasia file, there is really no such thing.) Announcers # on its overseas service, Radio Australia, use the same phrases # prefixed by the word `Australian' when referring to local times; # time announcements on that service, naturally enough, are made in UTC. # From Arthur David Olson (1992-03-08): # Given the above, what's chosen for year-round use is: # CST for any place operating at a GMTOFF of 9:30 # WST for any place operating at a GMTOFF of 8:00 # EST for any place operating at a GMTOFF of 10:00 # From Paul Eggert (2001-04-05), summarizing a long discussion about "EST" # versus "AEST" etc.: # # I see the following points of dispute: # # * How important are unique time zone abbreviations? # # Here I tend to agree with the point (most recently made by Chris # Newman) that unique abbreviations should not be essential for proper # operation of software. We have other instances of ambiguity # (e.g. "IST" denoting both "Israel Standard Time" and "Indian # Standard Time"), and they are not likely to go away any time soon. # In the old days, some software mistakenly relied on unique # abbreviations, but this is becoming less true with time, and I don't # think it's that important to cater to such software these days. # # On the other hand, there is another motivation for unambiguous # abbreviations: it cuts down on human confusion. This is # particularly true for Australia, where "EST" can mean one thing for # time T and a different thing for time T plus 1 second. # # * Does the relevant legislation indicate which abbreviations should be used? # # Here I tend to think that things are a mess, just as they are in # many other countries. We Americans are currently disagreeing about # which abbreviation to use for the newly legislated Chamorro Standard # Time, for example. # # Personally, I would prefer to use common practice; I would like to # refer to legislation only for examples of common practice, or as a # tiebreaker. # # * Do Australians more often use "Eastern Daylight Time" or "Eastern # Summer Time"? Do they typically prefix the time zone names with # the word "Australian"? # # My own impression is that both "Daylight Time" and "Summer Time" are # common and are widely understood, but that "Summer Time" is more # popular; and that the leading "A" is also common but is omitted more # often than not. I just used AltaVista advanced search and got the # following count of page hits: # # 1,103 "Eastern Summer Time" AND domain:au # 971 "Australian Eastern Summer Time" AND domain:au # 613 "Eastern Daylight Time" AND domain:au # 127 "Australian Eastern Daylight Time" AND domain:au # # Here "Summer" seems quite a bit more popular than "Daylight", # particularly when we know the time zone is Australian and not US, # say. The "Australian" prefix seems to be popular for Eastern Summer # Time, but unpopular for Eastern Daylight Time. # # For abbreviations, tools like AltaVista are less useful because of # ambiguity. Many hits are not really time zones, unfortunately, and # many hits denote US time zones and not Australian ones. But here # are the hit counts anyway: # # 161,304 "EST" and domain:au # 25,156 "EDT" and domain:au # 18,263 "AEST" and domain:au # 10,416 "AEDT" and domain:au # # 14,538 "CST" and domain:au # 5,728 "CDT" and domain:au # 176 "ACST" and domain:au # 29 "ACDT" and domain:au # # 7,539 "WST" and domain:au # 68 "AWST" and domain:au # # This data suggest that Australians tend to omit the "A" prefix in # practice. The situation for "ST" versus "DT" is less clear, given # the ambiguities involved. # # * How do Australians feel about the abbreviations in the tz database? # # If you just count Australians on this list, I count 2 in favor and 3 # against. One of the "against" votes (David Keegel) counseled delay, # saying that both AEST/AEDT and EST/EST are widely used and # understood in Australia. # From Paul Eggert (1995-12-19): # Shanks reports 2:00 for all autumn changes in Australia and New Zealand. # Mark Prior writes that his newspaper # reports that NSW's fall 1995 change will occur at 2:00, # but Robert Elz says it's been 3:00 in Victoria since 1970 # and perhaps the newspaper's `2:00' is referring to standard time. # For now we'll continue to assume 2:00s for changes since 1960. # From Eric Ulevik (1998-01-05): # # Here are some URLs to Australian time legislation. These URLs are stable, # and should probably be included in the data file. There are probably more # relevant entries in this database. # # NSW (including LHI and Broken Hill): # # Standard Time Act 1987 (updated 1995-04-04) # # ACT # # Standard Time and Summer Time Act 1972 # # SA # # Standard Time Act, 1898 # # Northern Territory # From George Shepherd via Simon Woodhead via Robert Elz (1991-03-06): # # The NORTHERN TERRITORY.. [ Courtesy N.T. Dept of the Chief Minister ] # # [ Nov 1990 ] # # N.T. have never utilised any DST due to sub-tropical/tropical location. # ... # Zone Australia/North 9:30 - CST # From Bradley White (1991-03-04): # A recent excerpt from an Australian newspaper... # the Northern Territory do[es] not have daylight saving. # Western Australia # From George Shepherd via Simon Woodhead via Robert Elz (1991-03-06): # # The state of WESTERN AUSTRALIA.. [ Courtesy W.A. dept Premier+Cabinet ] # # [ Nov 1990 ] # # W.A. suffers from a great deal of public and political opposition to # # DST in principle. A bill is brought before parliament in most years, but # # usually defeated either in the upper house, or in party caucus # # before reaching parliament. # ... # Zone Australia/West 8:00 AW %sST # ... # Rule AW 1974 only - Oct lastSun 2:00 1:00 D # Rule AW 1975 only - Mar Sun>=1 3:00 0 W # Rule AW 1983 only - Oct lastSun 2:00 1:00 D # Rule AW 1984 only - Mar Sun>=1 3:00 0 W # From Bradley White (1991-03-04): # A recent excerpt from an Australian newspaper... # Western Australia...do[es] not have daylight saving. # From John D. Newman via Bradley White (1991-11-02): # Western Australia is still on "winter time". Some DH in Sydney # rang me at home a few days ago at 6.00am. (He had just arrived at # work at 9.00am.) # W.A. is switching to Summer Time on Nov 17th just to confuse # everybody again. # From Arthur David Olson (1992-03-08): # The 1992 ending date used in the rules is a best guess; # it matches what was used in the past. # # The Australian Bureau of Meteorology FAQ # (1999-09-27) writes that Giles Meteorological Station uses # South Australian time even though it's located in Western Australia. # Queensland # From George Shepherd via Simon Woodhead via Robert Elz (1991-03-06): # # The state of QUEENSLAND.. [ Courtesy Qld. Dept Premier Econ&Trade Devel ] # # [ Dec 1990 ] # ... # Zone Australia/Queensland 10:00 AQ %sST # ... # Rule AQ 1971 only - Oct lastSun 2:00 1:00 D # Rule AQ 1972 only - Feb lastSun 3:00 0 E # Rule AQ 1989 max - Oct lastSun 2:00 1:00 D # Rule AQ 1990 max - Mar Sun>=1 3:00 0 E # From Bradley White (1989-12-24): # "Australia/Queensland" now observes daylight time (i.e. from # October 1989). # From Bradley White (1991-03-04): # A recent excerpt from an Australian newspaper... # ...Queensland...[has] agreed to end daylight saving # at 3am tomorrow (March 3)... # From John Mackin (1991-03-06): # I can certainly confirm for my part that Daylight Saving in NSW did in fact # end on Sunday, 3 March. I don't know at what hour, though. (It surprised # me.) # From Bradley White (1992-03-08): # ...there was recently a referendum in Queensland which resulted # in the experimental daylight saving system being abandoned. So, ... # ... # Rule QLD 1989 1991 - Oct lastSun 2:00 1:00 D # Rule QLD 1990 1992 - Mar Sun>=1 3:00 0 S # ... # From Arthur David Olson (1992-03-08): # The chosen rules the union of the 1971/1972 change and the 1989-1992 changes. # South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria # From Arthur David Olson (1992-03-08): # The rules from version 7.1 follow. # There are lots of differences between these rules and # the Shepherd et al. rules. Since the Shepherd et al. rules # and Bradley White's newspaper article are in agreement on # current DST ending dates, no worries. # # Rule Oz 1971 1985 - Oct lastSun 2:00 1:00 - # Rule Oz 1986 max - Oct Sun<=24 2:00 1:00 - # Rule Oz 1972 only - Feb 27 3:00 0 - # Rule Oz 1973 1986 - Mar Sun>=1 3:00 0 - # Rule Oz 1987 max - Mar Sun<=21 3:00 0 - # Zone Australia/Tasmania 10:00 Oz EST # Zone Australia/South 9:30 Oz CST # Zone Australia/Victoria 10:00 Oz EST 1985 Oct lastSun 2:00 # 10:00 1:00 EST 1986 Mar Sun<=21 3:00 # 10:00 Oz EST # From Robert Elz (1991-03-06): # I believe that the current start date for DST is "lastSun" in Oct... # that changed Oct 89. That is, we're back to the # original rule, and that rule currently applies in all the states # that have dst, incl Qld. (Certainly it was true in Vic). # The file I'm including says that happened in 1988, I think # that's incorrect, but I'm not 100% certain. # South Australia # From Bradley White (1991-03-04): # A recent excerpt from an Australian newspaper... # ...South Australia...[has] agreed to end daylight saving # at 3am tomorrow (March 3)... # From George Shepherd via Simon Woodhead via Robert Elz (1991-03-06): # # The state of SOUTH AUSTRALIA....[ Courtesy of S.A. Dept of Labour ] # # [ Nov 1990 ] # ... # Zone Australia/South 9:30 AS %sST # ... # Rule AS 1971 max - Oct lastSun 2:00 1:00 D # Rule AS 1972 1985 - Mar Sun>=1 3:00 0 C # Rule AS 1986 1990 - Mar Sun<=21 3:00 0 C # Rule AS 1991 max - Mar Sun>=1 3:00 0 C # From Bradley White (1992-03-11): # Recent correspondence with a friend in Adelaide # contained the following exchange: "Due to the Adelaide Festival, # South Australia delays setting back our clocks for a few weeks." # From Robert Elz (1992-03-13): # I heard that apparently (or at least, it appears that) # South Aus will have an extra 3 weeks daylight saving every even # numbered year (from 1990). That's when the Adelaide Festival # is on... # From Robert Elz (1992-03-16, 00:57:07 +1000): # DST didn't end in Adelaide today (yesterday).... # But whether it's "4th Sunday" or "2nd last Sunday" I have no idea whatever... # (it's just as likely to be "the Sunday we pick for this year"...). # From Bradley White (1994-04-11): # If Sun, 15 March, 1992 was at +1030 as kre asserts, but yet Sun, 20 March, # 1994 was at +0930 as John Connolly's customer seems to assert, then I can # only conclude that the actual rule is more complicated.... # From John Warburton (1994-10-07): # The new Daylight Savings dates for South Australia ... # was gazetted in the Government Hansard on Sep 26 1994.... # start on last Sunday in October and end in last sunday in March. # Tasmania # The rules for 1967 through 1991 were reported by George Shepherd # via Simon Woodhead via Robert Elz (1991-03-06): # # The state of TASMANIA.. [Courtesy Tasmanian Dept of Premier + Cabinet ] # # [ Nov 1990 ] # From Bill Hart via Guy Harris (1991-10-10): # Oh yes, the new daylight savings rules are uniquely tasmanian, we have # 6 weeks a year now when we are out of sync with the rest of Australia # (but nothing new about that). # From Alex Livingston (1999-10-04): # I heard on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) radio news on the # (long) weekend that Tasmania, which usually goes its own way in this regard, # has decided to join with most of NSW, the ACT, and most of Victoria # (Australia) and start daylight saving on the last Sunday in August in 2000 # instead of the first Sunday in October. # Sim Alam (2000-07-03) reported a legal citation for the 2000/2001 rules: # http://www.thelaw.tas.gov.au/fragview/42++1968+GS3A@EN+2000070300 # Victoria # The rules for 1971 through 1991 were reported by George Shepherd # via Simon Woodhead via Robert Elz (1991-03-06): # # The state of VICTORIA.. [ Courtesy of Vic. Dept of Premier + Cabinet ] # # [ Nov 1990 ] # From Scott Harrington (2001-08-29): # On KQED's "City Arts and Lectures" program last night I heard an # interesting story about daylight savings time. Dr. John Heilbron was # discussing his book "The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals as Solar # Observatories"[1], and in particular the Shrine of Remembrance[2] located # in Melbourne, Australia. # # Apparently the shrine's main purpose is a beam of sunlight which # illuminates a special spot on the floor at the 11th hour of the 11th day # of the 11th month (Remembrance Day) every year in memory of Australia's # fallen WWI soldiers. And if you go there on Nov. 11, at 11am local time, # you will indeed see the sunbeam illuminate the special spot at the # expected time. # # However, that is only because of some special mirror contraption that had # to be employed, since due to daylight savings time, the true solar time of # the remembrance moment occurs one hour later (or earlier?). Perhaps # someone with more information on this jury-rig can tell us more. # # [1] http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/HEISUN.html # [2] http://www.shrine.org.au # New South Wales # From Arthur David Olson: # New South Wales and subjurisdictions have their own ideas of a fun time. # Based on law library research by John Mackin (john@basser.cs.su.oz), # who notes: # In Australia, time is not legislated federally, but rather by the # individual states. Thus, while such terms as ``Eastern Standard Time'' # [I mean, of course, Australian EST, not any other kind] are in common # use, _they have NO REAL MEANING_, as they are not defined in the # legislation. This is very important to understand. # I have researched New South Wales time only... # From Paul Eggert (1999-09-27): # The Information Service of the Australian National Standards Commission # # Daylight Saving # page (1995-04) has an excellent overall history of Australian DST. # The Community Relations Division of the NSW Attorney General's Department # publishes a history of daylight saving in NSW. See: # # Lawlink NSW: Daylight Saving in New South Wales # # From Eric Ulevik (1999-05-26): # DST will start in NSW on the last Sunday of August, rather than the usual # October in 2000. [See: Matthew Moore, # # Two months more daylight saving # # Sydney Morning Herald (1999-05-26).] # From Paul Eggert (1999-09-27): # See the following official NSW source: # # Daylight Saving in New South Wales. # # # Narrabri Shire (NSW) council has announced it will ignore the extension of # daylight saving next year. See: # # Narrabri Council to ignore daylight saving # (1999-07-22). For now, we'll wait to see if this really happens. # # Victoria will following NSW. See: # # Vic to extend daylight saving # (1999-07-28). # # However, South Australia rejected the DST request. See: # # South Australia rejects Olympics daylight savings request # (1999-07-19). # # Queensland also will not observe DST for the Olympics. See: # # Qld says no to daylight savings for Olympics # (1999-06-01), which quotes Queensland Premier Peter Beattie as saying # ``Look you've got to remember in my family when this came up last time # I voted for it, my wife voted against it and she said to me it's all very # well for you, you don't have to worry about getting the children out of # bed, getting them to school, getting them to sleep at night. # I've been through all this argument domestically...my wife rules.'' # # Broken Hill will stick with South Australian time in 2000. See: # # Broken Hill to be behind the times # (1999-07-21). # IATA SSIM (1998-09) says that the spring 2000 change for Australian # Capital Territory, New South Wales except Lord Howe Island and Broken # Hill, and Victoria will be August 27, presumably due to the Sydney Olympics. # From Eric Ulevik, referring to Sydney's Sun Herald (2000-08-13), page 29: # The Queensland Premier Peter Beattie is encouraging northern NSW # towns to use Queensland time. # Yancowinna # From John Mackin (1989-01-04): # `Broken Hill' means the County of Yancowinna. # From George Shepherd via Simon Woodhead via Robert Elz (1991-03-06): # # YANCOWINNA.. [ Confirmation courtesy of Broken Hill Postmaster ] # # [ Dec 1990 ] # ... # # Yancowinna uses Central Standard Time, despite [its] location on the # # New South Wales side of the S.A. border. Most business and social dealings # # are with CST zones, therefore CST is legislated by local government # # although the switch to Summer Time occurs in line with N.S.W. There have # # been years when this did not apply, but the historical data is not # # presently available. # Zone Australia/Yancowinna 9:30 AY %sST # ... # Rule AY 1971 1985 - Oct lastSun 2:00 1:00 D # Rule AY 1972 only - Feb lastSun 3:00 0 C # [followed by other Rules] # Lord Howe Island # From George Shepherd via Simon Woodhead via Robert Elz (1991-03-06): # LHI... [ Courtesy of Pauline Van Winsen.. pauline@Aus ] # [ Dec 1990 ] # Lord Howe Island is located off the New South Wales coast, and is half an # hour ahead of NSW time. # From James Lonergan, Secretary, Lord Howe Island Board (2000-01-27): # Lord Howe Island summer time in 2000/2001 will commence on the same # date as the rest of NSW (i.e. 2000-08-27). For your information the # Lord Howe Island Board (controlling authority for the Island) is # seeking the community's views on various options for summer time # arrangements on the Island, e.g. advance clocks by 1 full hour # instead of only 30 minutes. Dependant on the wishes of residents # the Board may approach the NSW government to change the existing # arrangements. The starting date for summer time on the Island will # however always coincide with the rest of NSW. # From James Lonergan, Secretary, Lord Howe Island Board (2000-10-25): # Lord Howe Island advances clocks by 30 minutes during DST in NSW and retards # clocks by 30 minutes when DST finishes. Since DST was most recently # introduced in NSW, the "changeover" time on the Island has been 02:00 as # shown on clocks on LHI. I guess this means that for 30 minutes at the start # of DST, LHI is actually 1 hour ahead of the rest of NSW. # From Paul Eggert (2001-02-09): # For Lord Howe dates we use Shanks through 1989, and Lonergan thereafter. # For times we use Lonergan. ############################################################################### # New Zealand # From Mark Davies (1990-10-03): # the 1989/90 year was a trial of an extended "daylight saving" period. # This trial was deemed successful and the extended period adopted for # subsequent years (with the addition of a further week at the start). # source -- phone call to Ministry of Internal Affairs Head Office. # From George Shepherd via Simon Woodhead via Robert Elz (1991-03-06): # # The Country of New Zealand (Australia's east island -) Gee they hate that! # # or is Australia the west island of N.Z. # # [ courtesy of Geoff Tribble.. Geofft@Aus.. Auckland N.Z. ] # # [ Nov 1990 ] # ... # Rule NZ 1974 1988 - Oct lastSun 2:00 1:00 D # Rule NZ 1989 max - Oct Sun>=1 2:00 1:00 D # Rule NZ 1975 1989 - Mar Sun>=1 3:00 0 S # Rule NZ 1990 max - Mar lastSun 3:00 0 S # ... # Zone NZ 12:00 NZ NZ%sT # New Zealand # Zone NZ-CHAT 12:45 - NZ-CHAT # Chatham Island # From Arthur David Olson (1992-03-08): # The chosen rules use the Davies October 8 values for the start of DST in 1989 # rather than the October 1 value. # From Paul Eggert (1995-12-19); # Shanks reports 2:00 for all autumn changes in Australia and New Zealand. # Robert Uzgalis writes that the New Zealand Daylight # Savings Time Order in Council dated 1990-06-18 specifies 2:00 standard # time on both the first Sunday in October and the third Sunday in March. # As with Australia, we'll assume the tradition is 2:00s, not 2:00. # # From Paul Eggert (1999-10-29): # Shanks gives no time data for Chatham; usno1989 says it's +12:45, # usno1995 says it's +12:45/+13:45, and IATA SSIM (1991/1999) # gives the NZ rules but with transitions at 2:45 local standard time. # Guess that they have been in lock-step with NZ since 1990. ############################################################################### # Fiji # Howse writes (p 153) that in 1879 the British governor of Fiji # enacted an ordinance standardizing the islands on Antipodean Time # instead of the American system (which was one day behind). # From Rives McDow (1998-10-08): # Fiji will introduce DST effective 0200 local time, 1998-11-01 # until 0300 local time 1999-02-28. Each year the DST period will # be from the first Sunday in November until the last Sunday in February. # From Paul Eggert (2000-01-08): # IATA SSIM (1999-09) says DST ends 0100 local time. Go with McDow. # From the BBC World Service (1998-10-31 11:32 UTC): # The Fijiian government says the main reasons for the time change is to # improve productivity and reduce road accidents. But correspondents say it # also hopes the move will boost Fiji's ability to compete with other pacific # islands in the effort to attract tourists to witness the dawning of the new # millenium. # http://www.fiji.gov.fj/press/2000_09/2000_09_13-05.shtml (2000-09-13) # reports that Fiji has discontinued DST. # Johnston # Johnston data is from usno1995. # Kiribati # From Paul Eggert (1996-01-22): # Today's _Wall Street Journal_ (page 1) reports that Kiribati # ``declared it the same day throught the country as of Jan. 1, 1995'' # as part of the competition to be first into the 21st century. # Kwajalein # In comp.risks 14.87 (26 August 1993), Peter Neumann writes: # I wonder what happened in Kwajalein, where there was NO Friday, # 1993-08-20. Thursday night at midnight Kwajalein switched sides with # respect to the International Date Line, to rejoin its fellow islands, # going from 11:59 p.m. Thursday to 12:00 m. Saturday in a blink. # N Mariana Is, Guam # Howse writes (p 153) ``The Spaniards, on the other hand, reached the # Philippines and the Ladrones from America,'' and implies that the Ladrones # (now called the Marianas) kept American date for quite some time. # For now, we assume the Ladrones switched at the same time as the Philippines; # see Asia/Manila. # US Public Law 106-564 (2000-12-23) made UTC+10 the official standard time, # under the name "Chamorro Standard Time". There is no official abbreviation, # but Congressman Robert A. Underwood, author of the bill that became law, # wrote in a press release (2000-12-27) that he will seek the use of "ChST". # Micronesia # Alan Eugene Davis writes (1996-03-16), # ``I am certain, having lived there for the past decade, that "Truk" # (now properly known as Chuuk) ... is in the time zone GMT+10.'' # # Shanks writes that Truk switched from UTC+10 to UTC+11 on 1978-10-01; # ignore this for now. # From Paul Eggert (1999-10-29): # The Federated States of Micronesia Visitors Board writes in # # The Federated States of Micronesia - Visitor Information # (1999-01-26) # that Truk and Yap are UTC+10, and Ponape and Kosrae are UTC+11. # We don't know when Kosrae switched from UTC+12; assume January 1 for now. # Pitcairn # From Rives McDow (1999-11-08): # A Proclamation was signed by the Governor of Pitcairn on the 27th March 1998 # with regard to Pitcairn Standard Time. The Proclamation is as follows. # # The local time for general purposes in the Islands shall be # Co-ordinated Universal time minus 8 hours and shall be known # as Pitcairn Standard Time. # # ... I have also seen Pitcairn listed as UTC minus 9 hours in several # references, and can only assume that this was an error in interpretation # somehow in light of this proclamation. # From Rives McDow (1999-11-09): # The Proclamation regarding Pitcairn time came into effect on 27 April 1998 # ... at midnight. # From Howie Phelps (1999-11-10), who talked to a Pitcairner via shortwave: # Betty Christian told me yesterday that their local time is the same as # Pacific Standard Time. They used to be 1/2 hour different from us here in # Sacramento but it was changed a couple of years ago. # Samoa # Howse writes (p 153, citing p 10 of the 1883-11-18 New York Herald) # that in 1879 the King of Samoa decided to change # ``the date in his kingdom from the Antipodean to the American system, # ordaining -- by a masterpiece of diplomatic flattery -- that # the Fourth of July should be celebrated twice in that year.'' # Tonga # From Paul Eggert (1996-01-22): # Today's _Wall Street Journal_ (p 1) reports that ``Tonga has been plotting # to sneak ahead of [New Zealanders] by introducing daylight-saving time.'' # Since Kiribati has moved the Date Line it's not clear what Tonga will do. # Don Mundell writes in the 1997-02-20 Tonga Chronicle # # How Tonga became `The Land where Time Begins' # : # Until 1941 Tonga maintained a standard time 50 minutes ahead of NZST # 12 hours and 20 minutes ahead of GMT. When New Zealand adjusted its # standard time in 1940s, Tonga had the choice of subtracting from its # local time to come on the same standard time as New Zealand or of # advancing its time to maintain the differential of 13 degrees # (approximately 50 minutes ahead of New Zealand time). # # Because His Majesty King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, then Crown Prince # Tungi, preferred to ensure Tonga's title as the land where time # begins, the Legislative Assembly approved the latter change. # # But some of the older, more conservative members from the outer # islands objected. "If at midnight on Dec. 31, we move ahead 40 # minutes, as your Royal Highness wishes, what becomes of the 40 # minutes we have lost?" # # The Crown Prince, presented an unanswerable argument: "Remember that # on the World Day of Prayer, you would be the first people on Earth # to say your prayers in the morning." # From Paul Eggert (1999-08-12): # Shanks says the transition was on 1968-10-01; go with Mundell. # From Eric Ulevik (1999-05-03): # Tonga's director of tourism, who is also secretary of the National Millenium # Committee, has a plan to get Tonga back in front. # He has proposed a one-off move to tropical daylight saving for Tonga from # October to March, which has won approval in principle from the Tongan # Government. # From Steffen Thorsen [straen@thorsen.priv.no] (1999-09-09): # * Tonga will introduce DST in November # # I was given this link by John Letts : # # http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_424000/424764.stm # # # I have not been able to find exact dates for the transition in November # yet. By reading this article it seems like Fiji will be 14 hours ahead # of UTC as well, but as far as I know Fiji will only be 13 hours ahead # (12 + 1 hour DST). # From Arthur David Olson [arthur_david_olson@nih.gov] (1999-09-20): # According to