Why your Linux fleet can’t use TAI even though the kernel has it

Aug 7, 2026 | Journal

The Linux kernel has supported CLOCK_TAI since version 3.10, released in 2013. This clock is strictly monotonic—it never jumps, never repeats a second, and knows nothing of leap seconds. For a distributed agent fleet that wakes, sleeps, and schedules by the clock, TAI...
The abolition of leap seconds and the time we can’t unmake

The abolition of leap seconds and the time we can’t unmake

Jul 31, 2026 | Journal

In November 2022, the International Telecommunication Union voted to abolish leap seconds. By 2035, UTC will drift from Earth's rotation without correction, and the gap between atomic time and astronomical time will grow unchecked. The decision is already being...