How Do You Tell Time On The World Wide Web?

[garywade]

I would appreciate getting some feedback concerning this white paper I've submitted to my web site concerning showing the time on web sites.

You can read the press release here:

http://www.desisoftsystems.com/*************s/2003-09-09_HowDoYouTellTime/

and the white paper here:

http://www.desisoftsystems.com/white-papers/timeZoneCalculation/

There's a place at the bottom of the white paper to submit your comments so I can log them easily (it's not as easy to log them if they come through this forum thread).

Thanks for your help!

[Compguy Pete]

Interesting idea... However...

It's been done before, at least setting an internet standard.

http://www.swatch.com/internettime/home.php

the .beat concept is accually fairly cool... However trying to get americans to switch over to the metric system is impossible as it is... to try and change the time standard would be next to impossible.

[PeOfEo]

In a perfect world thats how it would be but since this world is not perfect, just put on your site, all times are GMT or something like that and put post the GMT time instead of local time when you post something. You will just have to force them to do some adding or subtracting.

[garywade]

The beat scenario sure sounds a lot like what Robert Sawyer wrote of for Neanderthal time in his book Hominids; however, that still causes quite a bit of mind-calculation. Of course, it might be good for a "Starfleet" vessel that needs a standard time.

As for the standards suggestion, you don't even need the user's interaction or a web browser change if you have JavaScript and cookies enabled as in the second solution.

Anyway, thanks for the comments.

[PeOfEo]

The problem is yea it would require calculation or a little internet clock visible at all times because that time is only on the internet and we would not use it in our everyday lives except while surfing the net. It would be really nice if we did not have timezones I think, and the whole world were on gmt. Think of it no setting your watch back when you drive accross a time zone, no thinking of when your show is on because they said 8 easter and your in central (ugh basic math is a killer).