Re: Will this be true tomorrow?

neuss@igd.fhg.de
Wed, 9 Feb 1994 12:31:59 --100


Hiyall,

frans van hoesel (hoesel@chem.rug.nl) wrote:

> Roy wrote:
> >

> > > In order to do that you should not store the
> > > local time in your log file.
> >

> > Why? No information is lost when local time is stored -- it's not
> > as if the site is changing timezones (except for daylight <-> standard).
>

> there is information lost! I have no idea what NZST is, I you had written
> that time in your log file, then that logfile would have no meaning to me,
> nor to any analyzer (except your local one). I I were to have a look at
> your log with an analyzer then I need an extremely clever analyzer that
> knows all the local time habbits correctly. You would also need to state
> in your log file what NZST is.
Hmm.. there's a point there, I guess. How about a compromise that doesn't
cost too much: Adding the UNIX system time will not require any conversion,
and it can easily be converted to all other file formats by remote analyzers.
Local site users could have the convenient, readable local time, while
tools would simply make use of the system time field.

System time is a long integer, so it would cost another 8 bytes if printed
in hex format. Yeah, this is an ugly format for humans, but easy to use
by computers. ;-)

Cheers,
Chris

---
"I ride a tandem with the random.." 

Christian Neuss # Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Wilhelminenstr.7 # 64283 Darmstadt # Germany e-mail: neuss@igd.fhg.de finger: neuss@wildturkey.igd.fhg.de