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Impact of Daylight Savings Time Changes?

Posted by Zonk on from the lots-of-work dept.

jason718 writes "With the pending changes to U.S. Daylight Savings Time, what impact will those changes have to existing systems and their applications? Are some operating systems more open than others with regard to the configuration of Daylight Savings Time start and end dates, or will we need yet another update or patch to modify the internal calendar?"

4 of 572 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Didn't we just argue over this? by LurkerXXX · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Few devices adjust for DST. To my knowledge, only computers do this.

    Let me just look around my room here... My TV does. So does my VCR. There are lots of things out there besides 'computers' that adjust for DST. Certainly my TV and VCR aren't 'patchable' to changes to when the time changes occur.

  2. DST is BS anyway.... by Chanc_Gorkon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I hae no idea why Congress thinks this thing will svae oil. Back when DST was invented, it was understandable. Now, we're different. Now we have people who work at any time during the span of 24 hours. We have 24 hour stores and there's more activity at night now then ever before. I bet that the existing DST does nothing to save oil now at this point. Sure, it's nice to have those extra daylight hours and what not but is it worth causing untold number of devices (regular desktops and servers will be fine, but it's the embedded stuff that is the problem now). Changing it now would not make a difference in oil usage.

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    Gorkman

  3. Re:No daylight savings time here by CrazyTalk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Could be worse - you could live in Indiana, a small state which effectively has THREE time zones (Central with DST near Chicago, and Eastern time with or without DST depending on where you are in the state.

  4. Windows and Linux aren't the issue. by SirGeek · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Specialized software like the power grid uses will be the issue. Most of this software will need large amounts of regression testing to ensure that the proper 23 and 25 hour days are handled.

    Many of the packages are expecting the 1st Saturday/Sunday in April to have 23 hours and the last Saturday/Sunday in October to have 25 hours.

    Do you really want the power grid to put into production a patch that hasn't been tested for many months ? ( Or do you want blackouts, or the cost to quadruple ? )

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    UPS Sucks