In creating the supporting materials for this Requirements Analysis, the team gave much thought  to how to delineate time. Also brought into question was whether or not to use an existing convention for the specification of the timeline date indicators. The convention most in use in the modern world is of course the timeline divided between B.C. (Before Christ)  and A.D. (Anno Domini, in the year of our Lord).  In more recent times, a move has been made towards B.C.E. (Before Common/Christian Era) and C.E. (Common/Christian Era).  Although one team member suggested using this and adding A.C.E. (After Common Era) for time beyond the present, this notion was discarded as perhaps being too confusing.  One other proposal was given serious consideration, one of the environmentalists on our multi-disciplinary team suggested that the extinction of the dodo be used as the pivotal demarcation between eras on a timeline.  It would have been demarcated as D.H.E. (Dodo Here Era) and D.G.E. (Dodo Gone Era). The present year in which this  report is being written (02001AD) would be 000320 D.G.E. This method was discarded as being potentially confusing and too uni-cultural.

Ultimately a compromise was reached B.C.E. would be used as would A.D. since they mesh on the timeline and would still allow a multi-cultural solution.

LBL, team lead, 28 Dec 01.