Re: CLDR Usage of Gregorian Calendar Era Terms: BC and AD -- Can we please have "CE" and "BCE" ?

From: Hans Aberg (haberg@math.su.se)
Date: Wed Dec 19 2007 - 16:46:43 CST

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    On 19 Dec 2007, at 18:01, Ed Trager wrote:

    > For the Gregorian calendar in CLDR, two --and as far as I am aware
    > only two-- era terms are defined:
    >
    > BC - "Before Christ"
    > AD - Anno Domini (="year of the lord")
    >
    > Is it really the case that these are the only two era terms
    > available in CLDR?

    > Given the now world-wide use of the Gregorian Calendar as a secular
    > standard for measuring dates in every realm of endeavor beyond the
    > Church, it seems uncharacteristically anachronistic that the CLDR
    > defines only these two era terms:

    The simplest way to avoid the issue altogether is to use astronomical
    year numbering:
       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomical_year_numbering
    For example the year 1 BC or 1 BCE is written simply 0. Then the 21st
    century started on January 1, 2000 as most today wants, and not as in
    the Gregorian calendar, on January 1, 2001 AD. The Julian day numbering
       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_day
    starts at noon January 1, -4712. And so on.

       Hans Åberg

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