From: Wm E. Davidsen Jr (davidsen@sixhub.UUCP)
Date: 08/02/93


From: davidsen@sixhub.UUCP (Wm E. Davidsen Jr)
Subject: Re: what time is it?
Date: 2 Aug 1993 14:50:00 GMT

In article <mfuhr.744219411@cwis> mfuhr@cwis.unomaha.edu (Michael Fuhr) writes:

| Read /usr/lib/zoneinfo/time.doc - it should tell you everything you
| need to know.

| Individual users should be able to set the TZ environment variable if
| they don't want to use the system-wide timezone. Example:
|
| % date
| Sun Aug 1 10:46:01 CDT 1993
| % setenv TZ GB-Eire
| % date
| Sun Aug 1 16:46:03 BST 1993

Sure would be nice if this feature worked with conventional UNIX
timezone info as well. I recognize that the new scheme is vastly
flexible, impressively powerful, and a total pain unless you use
one of the predefined values.

I confess to finding something like PST8PDT a lot easier to
type, understand, and generate without days of looking at a
manual. Well, okay, how about 20-30 minutes of reading the
document, at least based on my experience with "typical users,"
whoever they may be. People who use computers as tools rather
than for pleasure, I guess.

The fact that two local Linux users have had to call me to ask
about this makes it a really good candidate for the FAQ,
preferably with a level of detail somewhere between this
response which is highly useful but might be a bit terse, and
burying people in the detail contained in the actual
explanation file.

-- 
Bill Davidsen, davidsen%sixhub.uucp@uunet.uu.net
    TMR Associates, +1 518-370-5654
    C programming, data gathering, porting to open systems, heterogeneous
    environments, computer controlled housing, custom software