Session Date/Time: 08 Nov 2022 15:00

sedate

Summary

The sedate working group meeting focused on the status of the sedate draft and a discovered issue related to the interpretation of time zone offsets in RFC 3339. The primary discussion centered around whether the working group should address this issue, which would require re-chartering due to it being outside the current charter's scope. The meeting concluded with a plan to move forward with the existing sedate document and initiate discussions regarding a conservative re-chartering to address the RFC 3339 issue.

Key Discussion Points

Status of Sedate Draft: The draft is in last call, ending the following day. No objections were raised to moving the document forward.
RFC 3339 Interpretation Issue: The issue concerns the interpretation of "Z" and "+00:00" in RFC 3339, particularly regarding the indication of no local offset. Implementations often treat "Z" as indicating no local offset, contrary to the RFC.
Potential Solutions: The radical proposal is to interpret "Z" as "-00:00" (no local offset), aligning the specification with common implementations.
Charter Implications: Addressing the RFC 3339 issue requires re-chartering, as it modifies the base RFC, which was explicitly avoided in the current charter. Concerns were raised about the amount of effort it would require to get community consensus to change the charter.
Backward Compatibility: The proposed change is considered non-disruptive to existing parsers as it only restricts the generation of one specific form ("Z" representing a zero offset).
Communication with Standards Organizations: If re-chartering proceeds, communication with ISO (tc154) is necessary, as well as other relevant groups like tc39.
Alternate Approach: Document the issue, publish the existing sedate draft without addressing it, and then recharter solely to address this specific issue. This may find wider consensus.

Decisions and Action Items

Decision: The working group will proceed with the existing sedate document and allow the last call to complete.
Action Item: The chairs will discuss with the responsible AD (Francesca) the possibility of a conservative re-chartering to address the RFC 3339 issue.
Action Item: The chairs will share proposed charter text to the mailing list for discussion if re-chartering will be pursued.
Action Item: If re-chartering proceeds, the working group will communicate the issue and proposed solution to ISO and other relevant standards organizations.

Next Steps

Complete the last call for the existing sedate document.
Chair and AD to discuss re-chartering possibilities.
Start the re-chartering process before Yokohama (if the AD supports it).