[Python-Dev] proposal: add basic time type to the standard library

[Guido van Rossum]

> *all* early reviewers argued that time zones are a representation
> thingie, and doesn't belong in the abstract type.

Then maybe the reviewers didn't have a sufficiently wide range of
applications in mind?

If I were to create a database of email messages, I'd be seriously
annoyed if it normalized the timezone info away.  A message sent at
10pm EST has a different feel to it than one sent at 4am MET.  It
should *sort* on UTC, but it should use the original timezone to
display the dates.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)