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> From: Syd Bauman
> Sent: Monday, January 10, 2011 2:40 PM
> Subject: [DATETIME] comments on EDTF Specification DRAFT FOR REVIEW #1

(Subject line changed to address this specific concern and will address the other concern that you had expressed in a separate thread.)
 
> But at least as importantly, what is the motivation behind 6-digit
> years? I find it a bit hard to come up with a use case for normalized
> date representations of more than 4 digits at all, let alone for
> bibliographic metadata. 

The spec is intended to address bibliographic data, but it isn't limited to bibliographic data, and there are several other disciplines represented.  For example, astronomers may want to discuss the pending collision of the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies, to occur in the year three billion.....

... which of course wouldn't be supported by 6-digits, and the fact is, 6-digits was chosen arbitrarily and as a placeholder, as there has been no discussion of the matter, yet. 

There may be no requirement beyond 4-digits, and if we can ascertain that that is so, it would make matters much simpler and I would be glad to see expanded years profiled out.

So I welcome discussion of this. 

--Ray