Feature Inquiry

[Hal Murray]

There is no simple way to get TAI and "the usual data".

The Kernel knows about the TAI offset.  The leap-seconds file is now 
distributed by folks who maintain the time-zone database.  Many distros now 
include it.  ntpd will read that file and pass the TAI offset to the kernel.  
(We could easily move that code to a stand-alone program that gets run early 
in the initialization sequence.)


There is work on NTPv5 in the IETF's NTP working group.  TAI is in there.


Most likely, work on TAI will fizzle.

There is work in the ITU to kill leap seconds.  The Earth is currently being 
nice and not generating any leaps.  (There might even be a negative leap.)

My prediction (and remember how much you paid for it) is that there won't be 
any more leaps.  The ITU will take years to get all their ducks in a row.  If 
we go a few more years without a leap and then a leap is about to happen, 
there will be a lot of pressure to just turn them off "now" rather than wait 
for the normal ITU procedures.


-- 
These are my opinions.  I hate spam.