Re: Time Zone.

[Pat Suwalski <pat suwalski net>]

Stephane Delcroix wrote:
> 1)current situation, no proper tz support:
> all dates are transformed to utc, ensuring that a picture from Paris at
> 11.59pm is ordered before one from NY at 11.45pm. But the date displayed
> for both images are either a bit wrong (none of them being at the right
> local time) and dependent on your machine tz

You're assuming I changed my time in my camera. I'm pretty sure 
practically no one does this.

> 2)no tz support, treat all pictures as local time
> some pictures from NY will be shown before the one from Paris

This is also assuming I don't have my laptop with me, where the time 
also hasn't been changed, and that I haven't imported the photos while 
on the long boring plane flight. This is normally when I dump my photos.

However, neither my laptop nor my camera are in "local" time, but they 
are set to the same timezone. But if we don't touch the timestamp, it 
doesn't matter.

> 3)proper tz support
> -pictures are ordered using the converted time to utc
> -real local time (of the picture) is stored, so the fireworks images
> will be from 12.00, whatever the location

So, now I have to make sure that my camera stores both the time and the 
UTC offset (which my camera does not do). Otherwise, when I go on a 
trip, I have to change both my camera and my laptop, or specify a UTC 
offset when I import "photo rolls".

I think that's pretty steep for Joe Sixpack. I'm pretty sure that if you 
ask someone on the street "what UTC offset are we at" they'll have no 
idea what you're talking about.

I still propose that all timezone operations are simply removed. 
Extending your example, my Paris photos would be at 16:59-ish. Then my 
local fireworks would be at 11:59-ish. The order is preserved. I know 
the photos are from Paris, a time offset is expected. If I'm watching a 
soccer game from France, it's never at a convenient time anyway.

Anyone else have an opinion here?

--Pat