Greenwichi võrguaeg (ingl)

Alates 1. jaanuarist käivitatakse Greenwichis mitu võrgukella, mida saab kasutada ajamärgendi lisamiseks e-dokumentidesse. Loodetakse, et uus standard muutub sama populaarseks kui senine Greenwichi aeg. Ajastandardi haldajate ametlik seisukoht millenniumi vaidlustes on, et uus aastatuhat algab 1. jaanuaril 2001. aastal.

You've heard of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), now get ready for Greenwich Net Time (GNT).

On Jan. 1 in Greenwich, U.K., home of the Prime Meridian and site of what's expected to be a lavish New Year's Eve celebration, several GNT clocks will go live to offer ISPs and Internet users a new way to time-stamp electronic documents.

The effort's organizers said they hope GNT will be embraced as the recognized time standard for the Net, just as GMT is viewed as a baseline for time-keeping throughout 24 worldwide time zones.

Involved companies include The London Internet Exchange [LINX], a nonprofit group of ISPs that share data centers to more efficiently deliver Internet traffic within the U.K.; Datum, which is supplying three atomic clocks that will deliver GNT from Greenwich's zero meridian line; and Enron Communications, an energy and communications concern.

Enron will provide an applet displaying GNT to sites run by 89 LINX member ISPs, which include AboveNet, AT&T, BT Internet Services, Exodus Communications, France Telecom, and Level 3.

Officials for the companies said GNT and its application of so-called 'trusted time stamps' to documents will help make electronic signatures as a means of digitally authenticating documents become more accepted.

Wondering where Greenwich stands on whether 2000 or 2001 is the actual start of the new millennium?

"The millennium officially starts on 1 January 2001 (there was no year 0)," a note on the official Greenwich 2000 website reads. "The computers crash and millennium year celebrations begin 1 January 2000, which is the start of "Millennium Year."