Re: Odd timezone backend output

Andrew Sullivan wrote:
> On Thu, May 01, 2008 at 09:58:09PM -0400, Andrew Chernow wrote:
> 
>> The more I think about it, I personally like the display behavior of NTFS 
>> file times over something like EXT3.  When I am in EDT, it is useful to 
>> have all display times in that zone (regardless of whether that time falls 
>> within winter or summer) ... just as they would if I switched to PST.
> 
> There's a difference between the two cases you're thinking of, though.
> 
> In the case of "you being in EDT", you didn't actually switch time
> zone.  In Eastern time zones, the offset is -05 from UTC for part of
> the year, and -04 from UTC from part of the year.  That's what it
> _means_ to be in Eastern time: you didn't really switch time zone at
> all.  I'm in America/Toronto in January and in June.  My display
> should show the time correct to my time zone, not according to the
> offset from UTC.  If you really want that, change your time zone to be
> an offset from UTC rather than a particular zone.  (We used to have to
> differentiate between EST and EDT during the summer months, because
> Indiana didn't switch.  As far as I know, there is no longer a single
> jurisdiction where the summer time change doesn't happen in Eastern
> time.  If not for historical reasons, I'd argue the name should be
> changed to Eastern time.)
> 
> If you switch to Pacific time (and why is it that people say "EDT" but
> "PST"?  I don't know of any Pacific time jurisdictions that don't
> switch, either.  Arizona doesn't switch mostly, but they're in
> Mountain time), the same thing happens.
> 
> A
> 

I prefer offset from UTC, the timezone abbrevs are ambiguos and 
confusing.  If I am in a timezone that is currently 4 hours behind UTC, 
I would prefer all times to display adjusted by that offset.  I 
understand that technically its eastern time and EDT makes no sense in 
Jan (NOTE: linux 'date' command rejects this ... should the backend?), 
but its friendlier to adjust by a single offset (at least me thinks). 
The individual's perception of time is -0400, thus displaying all times 
adjusted by that seems logical.  My whole preference here is in regards 
to display times. I always try to see things from a non-technical 
end-user's perspective.

-- 
Andrew Chernow
eSilo, LLC
every bit counts
http://www.esilo.com/