Comments on: Timezones, clock applet and marketing dangers http://blogs.gnome.org/simos/2008/03/23/timezones-clock-applet-and-marketing-dangers/ Yet another GNOME Blogs weblog Mon, 18 May 2009 19:00:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: simos http://blogs.gnome.org/simos/2008/03/23/timezones-clock-applet-and-marketing-dangers/comment-page-1/#comment-60 simos Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:30:17 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/simos/2008/03/23/timezones-clock-applet-and-marketing-dangers/#comment-60 Jerome: My understanding is that a timezone conveys also Daylight Saving Time information. For example, not all regions in Canada follow the same DST changes. If the timezone was single (or related to the longitude only), it would not be possible to capture the details of each region. Quite recently, Venezuela and New Zealand changed DST data. See the FAQ at http://java.sun.com/javase/timezones/DST_faq.html In Europe it should be easier because the EU has harmonised in most (all?) cases the DST changes. The definite source of Time zone information is the Olson Timezone DST Data database (tzdata), http://www.twinsun.com/tz/tz-link.htm Jerome: My understanding is that a timezone conveys also Daylight Saving Time information. For example, not all regions in Canada follow the same DST changes. If the timezone was single (or related to the longitude only), it would not be possible to capture the details of each region.

Quite recently, Venezuela and New Zealand changed DST data.

See the FAQ at
http://java.sun.com/javase/timezones/DST_faq.html

In Europe it should be easier because the EU has harmonised in most (all?) cases the DST changes.

The definite source of Time zone information is the Olson Timezone DST Data database (tzdata),
http://www.twinsun.com/tz/tz-link.htm

]]> By: Tobias http://blogs.gnome.org/simos/2008/03/23/timezones-clock-applet-and-marketing-dangers/comment-page-1/#comment-59 Tobias Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:08:45 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/simos/2008/03/23/timezones-clock-applet-and-marketing-dangers/#comment-59 We use codes too, but our countries are small and have only one TZ. We use codes too, but our countries are small and have only one TZ.

]]> By: Jerome Haltom http://blogs.gnome.org/simos/2008/03/23/timezones-clock-applet-and-marketing-dangers/comment-page-1/#comment-58 Jerome Haltom Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:50:00 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/simos/2008/03/23/timezones-clock-applet-and-marketing-dangers/#comment-58 It's also a Serious Big Problem that to indicate my timezone I have to choose a city at all. In the US we do not know our timezones by city. We have names for them: Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern (and a few others). Nobody here is taught that "you live in the same timezone as Chicago". If you ask most users here to select their timezone, and offer them a choice of cities, they will not be able to make a good choice. I suspect this is a problem lost in translation from our European friends that do refer to timezones by city. It’s also a Serious Big Problem that to indicate my timezone I have to choose a city at all. In the US we do not know our timezones by city. We have names for them: Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern (and a few others). Nobody here is taught that “you live in the same timezone as Chicago”. If you ask most users here to select their timezone, and offer them a choice of cities, they will not be able to make a good choice.

I suspect this is a problem lost in translation from our European friends that do refer to timezones by city.

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