One volunteer maintains the time zone file behind 4 billion phones
danbri · x · 2026-10-16
A Long Now data-visualization story reveals that nearly every Android phone, iPhone, and much of the internet's servers rely on a single plain-text time zone database. UCLA lecturer Paul Eggert has maintained it as a volunteer since 2005 and been its official coordinator since 2012 — 218 of the 251 changes made last year were his.
- When countries change clocks on short notice (e.g., Morocco pausing DST for Ramadan), someone must update the file so 4 billion devices show correct local time
- In 2011 an astrology software company sued Eggert and database founder Arthur Olson, briefly taking the mailing list and download site offline; IANA took over and EFF defended them for free before the case was dropped in 2012
- The latest release 2026e notes Manitoba moving to permanent UTC-5 on October 31, typed in by two volunteers a month ahead
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