From: dblack@...
Date: 2006-11-27T06:47:35+09:00
Subject: Re: Timestamp

Hi --

On Mon, 27 Nov 2006, Paul Lutus wrote:

> dblack@wobblini.net wrote:
>
> / ...
>
>>> Milliseconds, then, since they appeared as three-digit integers.
>>
>> Actually the whole thing (44,12 or 23,555 or whatever) is one float,
>> using a comma separator instead of a dot.  The comma is the
>> "preferred" separator in this context in the ISO 8601 standard, so I
>> imagine that's being followed here.
>
> Not that I have any doubt about your claim, but I find it hard to believe
> that an international standard would specify a locale-specific radix
> character.

I'm not sure what the distinction is between doubting and finding it
hard to believe :-)  Anyway, here's a quote from ISO 8601:

>>>
If necessary for a particular application a decimal fraction of hour,
minute or second may be included. If a decimal fraction is included,
lower order components (if any) shall be omitted and the decimal
fraction shall be divided from the integer part by the decimal sign
specified in ISO 31-0: i.e. the comma [,] or full stop [.]. Of these,
the comma is the preferred sign. 
<<<

I'm not a big ISO 8601 expert, but I assume that this (or its
antecedents) are at the root of Ruby's accepting the comma (via a C
library or otherwise -- I haven't looked closely).


David

-- 
                   David A. Black | dblack@wobblini.net
Author of "Ruby for Rails"   [1] | Ruby/Rails training & consultancy [3]
DABlog (DAB's Weblog)        [2] | Co-director, Ruby Central, Inc.   [4]
[1] http://www.manning.com/black | [3] http://www.rubypowerandlight.com
[2] http://dablog.rubypal.com    | [4] http://www.rubycentral.org