Comments on: Time Zone Issue

Time Zone Issue

feelinglistless — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 15:22:36 -0800

The clocks went forward an hour in the UK at the weekend, so the GMT timing on posts is now an hour too early ...

By: feelinglistless

feelinglistless — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 15:24:46 -0800

... or an hour in the past depending upon your point of view ...

By: mathowie

mathowie — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 15:52:57 -0800

The time change comes up this weekend in the US, which is when the posts will be back on time.

Stick to America Time! :)

By: feelinglistless

feelinglistless — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 16:03:02 -0800

But that's just confusing ... but then I'm always easily confused ...

By: yerfatma

yerfatma — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 16:05:11 -0800

Is there a good way to detect this independent of the user (just using server-side date and time)? I've gone to putting everything into the database at GMT and then serving it back out to the user at their chosen time (which was fun to figure out given that the server I'm using is PST right now and I'm EST and then there's GMT) . . . blah blah blah . . . what I meant to ask was: is there a standard rule to go by based on date without myriad if clauses?

By: MiguelCardoso

MiguelCardoso — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 16:05:52 -0800

Talking of which, how can I get GMT on MetaTalk?

By: Pretty_Generic

Pretty_Generic — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 16:07:47 -0800

No, the GMT timing is correct. GMT doesn't change, we just stop using it and use BST (GMT+1) instead. Dumb, but true. I'd just change your timezone instead of asking matt to keep track of all the world's daylight time conventions.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 16:34:16 -0800

Stick to America Time! :)

Freedom Time!

By: mathowie

mathowie — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 16:36:46 -0800

how can I get GMT on MetaTalk?

I should setup a feature request auction, then I could just say "Miguel that'll be at least $40."

Timezones are pretty much a clusterfuck if you want to be perfect. I think I've got about 28 different timezones (lots of odd 1/2 hour ones in there) and no one has complained about a missing zone. The times at which people switch between standard and daylight time varies greatly around the globe, and to simplify matters, I just stick to the way it's done in the US - first sunday in April and October get the change.

By: andrew cooke

andrew cooke — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 19:21:01 -0800

ok, but what is the time zone code for the uk? surely there's a code that swaps between BST and GMT automatically? the mefi config doesn't list it and i can't find it here. i wonder if you need to buy this to find out...

By: matteo

matteo — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 19:32:49 -0800

I'm currently in Okaaaoomaka Island, South Pacific.

I'm more or less on the 180th meridian, but since the Date Line makes a zigzag in the north to incorporate the eastern tip of Siberia into the Siberian time system and then another one to incorporate a number of islands into the Hawaii-Aleutian time zone, and in the south there is a similar zigzag for the purpose of tying a number of British-owned islands to the New Zealand time system, I have trouble resetting my watch. And my laptop's watch. Not to mention the date. Also, I'm thirsty.
And I'd like to buy a CD-ROM with all Mefi threads on it, but I have copyright issues

On Friday (when is it exactly) I have to move Eastward to another island and I don't know if I'll stay in this same time zone

What time is it?

*cries, checks out this site*

By: PrinceValium

PrinceValium — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 19:36:20 -0800

Clusterfuck is right. You'd basically have to have users select their country, then select their time zone within that country, in order to get it exactly right.

By: tss

tss — Wed, 02 Apr 2003 21:04:31 -0800

I love all the little time zone intricacies that work their way into the whole system. Most of them seem to happen in Indiana.

Almost all UNIXey operating systems these days contain the file /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Indiana/Vevay. It exists specifically to allow UNIX administrators in the small SE Indiana town of Vevay and surrounding Switzerland County to run their computers on the local time, which is essentially Cincinnati time.

This amuses for two reasons. First, Vevay was founded by my Swiss French (Swiss Freedom?) ancestors, the DuFours. Much of my father's side of the family came from there, and I'm proud to have part of my heritage in a place where time itself is occasionally a contentious issue (c.f.). Second, I can't imagine that there are more than twenty UNIX computers in all of Switzerland County. Well, I'm sure the effort is appreciated. Actually, I'm not.

By: nthdegx

nthdegx — Thu, 03 Apr 2003 04:17:43 -0800

I don't think updating the GMT daylight saving a week late is going to kill anybody. Not worth a fix...

By: jpburns

jpburns — Thu, 03 Apr 2003 05:03:39 -0800

I'm so glad to have moved from Indiana, where time stands still.

The only good thing about living in a state that doesn't respect Daylight Savings Time? I could watch "The Daily Show" at 10pm, and get to bed at a decent time...

By: quonsar

quonsar — Thu, 03 Apr 2003 07:22:38 -0800

huh? i thought GMT was GMT. regardless of daylight savings schemes. (but i'm an insular 'murkin boy and the closest i've been to europe is manhattan. what do i know?)

By: kindall

kindall — Thu, 03 Apr 2003 09:23:13 -0800

GMT is always GMT, just like PST is always PST. It's just that Britain doesn't always use GMT, just like the Pacific time zone doesn't always use PST. This is only confusing if you think of GMT as "the time that Britain uses."

By: NortonDC

NortonDC — Thu, 03 Apr 2003 13:22:18 -0800

Stop! Hammer time!

ow. owow. ok, sorry OW