Story thread · 3 reports / 3 sources

Leap second proposal will keep software stacks in sync

computerworld.com · 6dShare

For decades, global time experts have mapped atomic clock time to the earth’s rotation, periodically adding a second (aka a leap second) as rotation slowed. But the planet’s rotation has now slightly sped up, which could mean that a negative adjustment will be required. The problem is that computer systems have not been programmed to do that. To avoid this issue, the General Conference on Weights and Measures (GCWM) in October will vote on a proposal to maintain the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) as a continuous time from May 20, 2027, without adjustment via leap seconds, allowing UT1 , the measure of time based on the earth’s rotation, and UTC to drift apart by up to one hour. It pointed out, “a negative leap second has not previously been applied, and it is considered to pose a high risk of causing anomalies and disruption to critical infrastructures that are largely unprepared, and the preparation would create, for the industries that rely on time synchronization, a need for finan

First report: Time lords prepare to kick leap seconds into the next millennium — theregister.com, 9d