Date & Time options

[ixnay]

I'm curious as to if it would be possible to add user options so that users could display dates in mm-dd-yy format and the time in a 12 hour clock format. And while we're at it, could you please set the apolyton clock back about 10 minutes? The other thread about that turned into a spamfest and was closed with no result.

[Asher]

I, too, would love to see these features.

[johndmuller]

If having options is too much for whatever reason, perhaps we could have a format such as Feb-13-2002 or 13-Feb-2002 so that those of us with diminished capacity don't have to remember that it is in Euro-format and aren't frequently misreading the dates.

There is presumably an AM/PM format for times also, although at least with a time > 12:59 you know that it is 24 hour time, not like the date where a careless misreading is very easy to slip into for those of us accustomed to the mm-dd-yyyy format (and with the dimished capacity).

[ixnay]

True, with the 24 hour clock it's simple to figure the time in am/pm after 12:00, by just subtracting 12, but it's a minor hassle that I would like to see alleviated. And I like your idea about using letter abbreviations for the months to make it easier...

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by johndmuller
it is in Euro-format and aren't frequently misreading the dates.

Is it just Euro-format? What format do other countries use? (e.g Australia, Brazil, India, Japan etc)

I thought that the US format was the unique way, not the Euro-format.

[Skanky Burns]

I think you are right, SD.

Australia uses an ordered date format dd-mm-yyyy
and as far as I know, only US uses an alternate format.

[Asher]

There's the "international" format of DD-MM-YYYY and the "American" MM-DD-YYYY.

Half of the people here seem to use the International, the other half is American. It's frickin' annoying.

I prefer the American way. That's how I say dates "January 12th, 1999" not "12 January 1999", like the "Euros" do.

[ixnay]

Originally posted by Asher

I prefer the American way. That's how I say dates "January 12th, 1999" not "12 January 1999", like the "Euros" do.

I prefer the american way, too. Probably because I'm american.

[Locutus]

But there's only one true format of course: yyyy-mm-dd. We don't say '20 cm, 500 m and 3 km', do we? (Or for the Americans, '50 yard, 6 inches and 2 mile') Or '34 minutes 23 seconds and 7 hours'? In everything except dates do we write the larger units in front of the smaller ones. This system should be used for dates as well. Unfortunately only ISO realizes this and most people don't take ISO seriously in this respect.

*sigh* I feel so misunderstood

[Skanky Burns]

Yes, the true international date format is yyyy-mm-dd.
As with all other measurements, it puts the largest (most significant) first, and the smaller ones later.

Its gaining popularity.

[Asher]

I think it's silly.

The year doesn't change very much, why should it be the first number? The only time it's used is for clarification on what year something was dated, that's why it's last, it's out of the way.

[Skanky Burns]

Basically to keep it consistant with every other method of measuring stuff. Same as time. Hours dont change as often as minutes, yet they come first...

[Asher]

Right, right, except years aren't always written.

I date my papers like 2-14 at the top, which means February 14th. Not 2002-2-14.

Basically the date format is used as shorthand for writing it out, it's not some real "format" like hours/minutes. For that reason, it makes more sense for some of us to write it as February 14th, 2002 and 2-14-2002 rather than 2002-14-2 or 14-2-2002.

[Skanky Burns]

Yeah, I understand where you are coming from.

Originally posted by Asher That's how I say dates "January 12th, 1999" not "12 January 1999", like the "Euros" do.

Incidently, I say "12th of January 1999"

[Hydey]

I say "its friday"
That seems to be enough information for my brain to handle.