Re: reproducible built files

[Paul Eggert]

On 12/29/24 08:29, Bruno Haible wrote:

> Re 1 + max: yes that makes sense, also for compensating a conversion
>     to entire seconds, that loses fractional seconds.

In TZDB releases all the files either correspond to a commit and 
therefore lack fractional seconds (because Git doesn't record fractional 
seconds in commits), or correspond to a (1 + max(other file timestamps)) 
and thus also lack fractional seconds.

That is why TZDB can get away with tar --format=pax: since there are no 
fractional seconds, GNU Tar doesn't use that Pax extension to ustar 
format and so the distributed tarball is actually --format=ustar until 
the year 2242.


> I see your rules in tz/Makefile, target 'set-timestamps.out'. This rule uses
> "git diff --quiet $$file". Shouldn't it use "git diff --quiet HEAD $$file"
> instead?

Thanks, I fixed that.