tron@wpi.wpi.edu (Richard G Brewer) (04/08/89)
Well, this isn't exactly a wish for HC 2.0, BUT I think that it a relivant wish (for conveinence, if nothing else :^) ). I would like to the the US version of the Macintosh Software automatically recognize and compensate for daylight savings time (i.e. automatically turn the clock forward/back). I can't see why this hasn't been done before, all it would take would be a couple of extra flags in the system software (to determine if the clock change has already been done), and a line of code to tell the machine to set the clock forward/back. In a generic code, it would look like this: procedure check date if Date = first sunday in april continue else skip if TurnBackFlag = 0 continue else skip turn clock ahead one hour end procedure after the day passes (i.e. any other day besides the turn forward/back dates) the flags would be set back to zero. - Richard G. Brewer tron@wpi.wpi.edu rbrewer@wpi.bitnet
truelr@silver.bacs.indiana.edu (Robert Truel) (04/09/89)
In article <1793@wpi.wpi.edu> tron@wpi.wpi.edu (Richard G Brewer) writes: >I would like to the the US >version of the Macintosh Software automatically recognize and compensate for >daylight savings time (i.e. automatically turn the clock forward/back). I >can't see why this hasn't been done before, > >- Richard G. Brewer Here in (Central) Indiana, we don't run on Daylight Savings Time, so unless you want to force people to keep their Map up to date, and check for the regions of the world that change, forget it. It is much easier for someone who is setting all of their other clocks back to set their computers clock back also, than it is for someone who doesn't even know that it is now "Daylight Savings Time" elsewhere to change theirs. I for one am a bit leery of my computer doing too many things for me, especially when it doesn't do them correctly. Although, before I knew the benfits of disk block caching, I was wary of a new computer that didn't even let the user remove his own disk from the drive. "just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you" :)
djlinse@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Dennis Linse) (04/09/89)
In article <1793@wpi.wpi.edu> tron@wpi.wpi.edu (Richard G Brewer) writes: >Well, this isn't exactly a wish for HC 2.0, BUT I think that it a relivant >wish (for conveinence, if nothing else :^) ). I would like to the the US >version of the Macintosh Software automatically recognize and compensate for >daylight savings time (i.e. automatically turn the clock forward/back). I >can't see why this hasn't been done before, all it would take would be a >couple of extra flags in the system software (to determine if the clock change >has already been done), and a line of code to tell the machine to set the >clock forward/back. > [Example code deleted] > >- Richard G. Brewer While this may be a useful feature, one must be careful implementing it, for daylight savings time is far from a 'natural' occurance. The problem with implementing any simple code as suggested is that congress may change its mind and then the code causes more harm than good. There has been a discussion on comp.sys.sgi this week because some of the Iris workstations have daylight savings time conversion coded into the time functions (in Sys V). Unfortunately, it is coded as the last sunday in April and the last sunday in October. So now one has to kludge the time and the 'EDT' until it 'automatically' fixes it in a couple of weeks, and then fix it back. Therefore IF one wants to do this, make sure it is a complete implementation, not a hard coded change. Dennis -- Found at the top of a looonnng homework assignment: "Activity is the only road to knowledge" G.B. Shaw
tim@hoptoad.uucp (Tim Maroney) (04/09/89)
In article <1793@wpi.wpi.edu> tron@wpi.wpi.edu (Richard G Brewer) writes: >Well, this isn't exactly a wish for HC 2.0, BUT I think that it a relivant >wish (for conveinence, if nothing else :^) ). I would like to the the US >version of the Macintosh Software automatically recognize and compensate for >daylight savings time (i.e. automatically turn the clock forward/back). Ah yes, all we need is for the Macintosh to read the newspapers so it can keep up with acts of Congress. During the energy crisis, DST was greatly extended, and there is now legislation on the floor which would extend DST to past Election Day every four years to help with a uniform poll closing time. There is no algorithmic way to determine whether we are in Daylight Savings Time or not.... -- Tim Maroney, Consultant, Eclectic Software, sun!hoptoad!tim "The men promise to provide unconditionally for their wives. The women in turn serve unconditionally to provide the other household services necessary for the men to fulfill their obligations to the women. The women are satisfied because they have the men working for THEM." -- Colin Jenkins, soc.women
svc@well.UUCP (Leonard Rosenthol) (04/10/89)
In article <1793@wpi.wpi.edu>, tron@wpi.wpi.edu (Richard G Brewer) writes: > [Would like to see the U.S. System handle DST/ST automagically] > > In a generic code, it would look like this: > > > procedure check date > if Date = first sunday in april continue else skip > if TurnBackFlag = 0 continue else skip > turn clock ahead one hour > end procedure > > after the day passes (i.e. any other day besides the turn forward/back dates) > the flags would be set back to zero. > There is one obvious (and one not so obvious) reason why this is not built into the system software and that is even though it is the U.S. System it is STILL used by people outside the U.S!! The non-obvous reason is that your algorithm does not always work. There has been times in the past where the date for clock-changing has not always been 'first sunday in april', it has varied (for strange reasons). So all of a sudden the system changes your clock on you - 'Now how did that happen??' You should also consider that the Macintosh Programmer Guidelines specify that the programmer should not change user-defined things behind the users back. There is a wonderful disucssion about this going on in the comp.sys.mac.programmers concerning resizing windows on the user. Your idea is not a bad one, and I understand that someone wrote a CDEV that will auto change your clocks for you, but re,member that it may do it without telling you it did it, and it might not do it when you expect it to. Another place this might fit it is an an extension to the Map CDEV since it does change the clock for you when you SET a new location, it could also know about DST. -- +--------------------------------------------------+ Leonard Rosenthol | GEnie : MACgician Lazerware, inc. | MacNet: MACgician UUCP: svc@well.UUCP | ALink : D0025
tron@wpi.wpi.edu (Richard G Brewer) (04/10/89)
>In article <1793@wpi.wpi.edu> tron@wpi.wpi.edu (Richard G Brewer) writes: >>Well, this isn't exactly a wish for HC 2.0, BUT I think that it a relivant >>wish (for conveinence, if nothing else :^) ). I would like to the the US >>version of the Macintosh Software automatically recognize and compensate for Well, it was just a suggestion..... :^) - Richard G. Brewer tron@wpi.wpi.edu rbrewer@wpi.bitnet
ching@pepsi.amd.com (Mike Ching) (04/10/89)
In article <11285@well.UUCP> svc@well.UUCP (Leonard Rosenthol) writes: >In article <1793@wpi.wpi.edu>, tron@wpi.wpi.edu (Richard G Brewer) writes: >> [Would like to see the U.S. System handle DST/ST automagically] >> >> > There is one obvious (and one not so obvious) reason why this is not >built into the system software and that is even though it is the U.S. System >it is STILL used by people outside the U.S!! The non-obvous reason is that >your algorithm does not always work. There has been times in the past where >the date for clock-changing has not always been 'first sunday in april', it >has varied (for strange reasons). So all of a sudden the system changes your >clock on you - 'Now how did that happen??' Another problem is what happens in places like Arizona and Hawaii that don't ever switch to daylight savings time. They would have to correct their clocks when nothing should have happened. Mike Ching
tron@wpi.wpi.edu (Richard G Brewer) (04/11/89)
In article <25181@amdcad.AMD.COM> ching@pepsi.AMD.COM (Mike Ching) writes: >In article <11285@well.UUCP> svc@well.UUCP (Leonard Rosenthol) writes: > >In article <1793@wpi.wpi.edu>, tron@wpi.wpi.edu (Richard G Brewer) writes: > >> [Would like to see the U.S. System handle DST/ST automagically] > >> > > There is one obvious (and one not so obvious) reason why this is not > >built into the system software and that is even though it is the U.S. System > >it is STILL used by people outside the U.S!! The non-obvous reason is that > >Another problem is what happens in places like Arizona and Hawaii that >don't ever switch to daylight savings time. They would have to correct >their clocks when nothing should have happened. This could all be easily solved by activating/deactivating the auto-time change through a check box on the control panel CDEV... You could also set the dates manually from the C.P., thus effectively eliminating the argument that changing dates would screw it up... - Richard G. Brewer tron@wpi.wpi.edu rbrewer@wpi.bitnet