Is there one?, no matter how simple you try to make it, there always seems to be an issue with timezones.

Suggestions, comments, ideas on making timezones simple (i.e. idiotproof)?

Well, UTC time is always visible in LFSW.

I thought LFS has an option to display UTC time, no?

It does, but that still doesn't solve the apprarent issues many people have with timezones

LFSW could calculate the difference between you and UTC and display it if you are a bit thick to do it yourself. Or maybe using something like this should help.

Quote from Blackout :

LFSW could calculate the difference between you and UTC and display it if you are a bit thick to do it yourself. Or maybe using something like this should help.

Btw, if you register there you can set default time and then the page shows all times automataclly compared to your own timezone.

I used a desktop world clock programm (dunno remember the name) for a long time.
So I always knowed whats BST CEST CET PST etc. etc. compared to my time.
Today I usually only use http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/

What else can you do? Time is time is time. We have timezones for a reason

I suppose there's always 'internet time' but then you'd still have to convert to/from that.

Quote from danowat :

It does, but that still doesn't solve the apprarent issues many people have with timezones

Have the start times calculated and displayed to the user depending on what he put as his timezone (in his/her profile on the website)?

All times announced in UTC. Then everyone can check LFSW and compare. Simple no?

I know the exact conversation & server this topic came from .

I think we should organise all events using the in-game UTC clock. That clock reads the same for everyone, that would eliminate confusion.

For the love of god, PLEASE don't use UCT as it doesn't move with DST. I personally think that WET/WEST as appropriate would be more useful. Which is the same in the winter.

Please could we have a world clock thing somewhere in the game that displays local time, WET/WEST as appropriate and possibly a custom one?

This forum already dates/times threads by local time so why not re-use that code? How about a [ localtime ] tag or something that auto-converts a given UTC time for every visitor? So:

Time: 6pm UTC [ localtime ] 18:00 [ /localtime ]

Would be rendered as:

Time: 6pm UTC (19:00 local time)

for me.

Quote from thisnameistaken :

This forum already dates/times threads by local time so why not re-use that code? How about a [ localtime ] tag or something that auto-converts a given UTC time for every visitor? So:

Time: 6pm UTC [ localtime ] 18:00 [ /localtime ]

Would be rendered as:

Time: 6pm UTC (19:00 local time)

for me.

Something like that would be tops

I really can't figure out what the problem is if time is given in UTC. If a race starts at 1800 UTC and it's now 1600 UTC then it means you'll have to wait 2 hours regardless of your timezone.

Quote from duke_toaster :

For the love of god, PLEASE don't use UCT as it doesn't move with DST.

Isn't this why you would want to use UTC?

Quote from duke_toaster :

For the love of god, PLEASE don't use UCT as it doesn't move with DST. I personally think that WET/WEST as appropriate would be more useful. Which is the same in the winter.

Not everyone (notably the southern hemisphere, the US*, and various other places) changes in and out of DST at the same time, hence the reasoning for using UTC in the first place as it does not change. Some countries, admittedly ones with negligable LFS userbases, don't use DST at all.

Most people know their DST offset at a given point in the year, it's just a case of addition.


e.g. Event scheduled for 17:40 UTC

Britain: (DST active; BST = UTC+1) - 18:40 local.
Central Europe: (DST active; CEST** = UTC+2) - 19:40 local.
India: (DST not used; IST = UTC+5:30) - 23:10 local.
West Coast US: (DST active; PDT = UTC-7) - 10:40 local.


* The US is/has changed the DST entry and exit times that it uses, so you can't assume that when we enter DST, that all the timezones shift at once.

** In the central european timezone, it is VERY ANNOYINGLY common for the term 'CET' to be used all year, whereas the proper term for the DST period is CEST. If you see a time expressed as CET in the summer, it could mean UTC+1 or UTC+2.

Quote from andy29 :

Isn't this why you would want to use UTC?

Bingo - When BST isn't in effect, its all fine. Most people get the timezones right, its just when we move our clocks forward an hour that it all gets out of hand.

UTC is a time value that just ticks around happily and never changes for daylight savings. This means everyone has a standardised reading of the time. Also, when Britain isn't in Daylight savings then our local time is UTC. So even less confusion after that.

Something like what Kev said would be nice.

Anyway I am very confortable with GMT... what's the difference to UTC?

Quote from de Souza :

Anyway I am very confortable with GMT... what's the difference to UTC?

As far as what matters to normal people - nothing

http://people.etango.com/~mark ... 004/02/29/gmt_vs_utc.html

Hmm...

I don't see any problem using UTC then (but a localtime conversion would still be good).

I am always happy when I see the remaining time towards a event.
The OLFSL Webpage for example gives me the time left until my race starts.

The problem I have with converting time zones is that I don't know who is in DST and who isn't. That world clock converter that someone linked helps though.

Maybe it would be easier to have a "count down till race start timer" or similar?

It's easy enough to make a countdown timer on www.timeanddate.com. I think it will count properly no matter what timezone you are in.

Countdown to next RSSC2 Race

If start times were quoted in UTC, then it gets rid of the confusion with daylight savings time, but I would think there's people who have never heard of UTC.

Which is why I always state GMT/UTC, there is still always problems though.........

I like the countdown thingy, I may use that in the future