[Python-ideas] lack of time zone support

[Brett Cannon]

On Tue, Jun 1, 2010 at 18:18, Bill Janssen <janssen at parc.com> wrote:
> Brett Cannon <brett at python.org> wrote:
>
>> First of all, there will never be a timezone table in the stdlib,
>> period. This has been brought up before and is always shot down
>> because python-dev does not want to have to keep track of timezone
>> changes. pytz and other modules fit that bill fine.
>
> Sure, sure.  Though I'm not sure that it has to be "in" the standard
> library to be part of the standard library.  Past time for CPython to
> start thinking about on-demand data, pulled dynamically from "the
> cloud", with a static version for backup.  Just a thought...
>
>> Now if you want UTC, that's different. Alexander already linked to an
>> issue that is discussing that end. The current proposal is to provide
>> a generic class that creates fixed UTC-offset timezones, with an
>> instance for UTC set on the datetime module.
>
> Yes, I've been following that.  Very promising.

Just need a patch. =)

>
>> If you get that class in, you could then patch _strptime to support
>> the %z directive so as to return a timezone that had a set UTC-offset.
>> Not optimal, but it's something.
>
> Yes, exactly.

Then that's fine. Get the fixed offset timezone in and then get a
patch for this and I don't see resistance.