Daylight savings time and the computer

[brendaal]

I received this email from a relative today. Any truth to it?

"I received this from a friend of mine. Since daylight savings time comes earlier this year our computers need to be adjusted. I haven't tried this myself yet but thought I'd let you know about it if you're interested. I would think that you could also just go into your computer "time" and change it. But what do I know???

Apparently, according to our computer guru at work, daylight savings will be different this year and because computers are geared to a certain Sunday, the time won't automatically change this year. So, he suggested we go Google 'rocket time' and select the one that has download in the address (the second one, I think!). It's from PC World.

It's free and easy. Downloading rocket time will keep your computer very accurate and fix the problem with DST this year.

I hit download...........run............and when it asks if this is a safe site, I answered in the affirmative. It doesn't take too long, and should be worth it when March and November roll around this year. We all installed it at work and I just did it here at home.

If you have any trouble downloading just let me know.

After the download, click on the file and it will tell you how far your computer is off the real time. Mine was 3 seconds FAST. Oh, No! But, NOW it's accurate. (smile)"

[Salamander]

Originally Posted by brendaal

I received this email from a relative today. Any truth to it?

"I received this from a friend of mine. Since daylight savings time comes earlier this year our computers need to be adjusted. I haven't tried this myself yet but thought I'd let you know about it if you're interested. I would think that you could also just go into your computer "time" and change it. But what do I know???

Apparently, according to our computer guru at work, daylight savings will be different this year and because computers are geared to a certain Sunday, the time won't automatically change this year. So, he suggested we go Google 'rocket time' and select the one that has download in the address (the second one, I think!). It's from PC World.

It's free and easy. Downloading rocket time will keep your computer very accurate and fix the problem with DST this year.

I hit download...........run............and when it asks if this is a safe site, I answered in the affirmative. It doesn't take too long, and should be worth it when March and November roll around this year. We all installed it at work and I just did it here at home.

If you have any trouble downloading just let me know.

After the download, click on the file and it will tell you how far your computer is off the real time. Mine was 3 seconds FAST. Oh, No! But, NOW it's accurate. (smile)"

Sounds like utter bollocks if you ask me. The state I live in only re-introduced DST late last year, MS had a patch out to accommodate the change prior to the implementation of DST.

If you use Windows 2000 or XP, the OS already connects to an internet time server (ITS) to keep the PC time accurate which is all that Rocket Time appears to do anyway. If you Google the right terms, you can find instructions on how to change the default ITS in Windows 2K/XP if you don't want to use the default server.

As for the DST issue, another quick Googling reveals this article from Microsoft:

Preparing for Daylight Saving Time changes in 2007

The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005, passed by the U.S. Congress July, 2005, extended Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the U.S. by approximately four weeks. As a result, beginning in 2007, DST will start three weeks earlier on March 11, 2007, and end one week later on November 4, 2007, resulting in a new DST period that is four weeks longer than previously observed.

When your time zone settings are incorrect your clock may be off by one hour, and certain applications running on your Windows based computer may not display the correct time. To address this, Microsoft is providing many free updates and tools that will update your system automatically.

Basically, not true. Rocket Time appears to be legitimate (ie; not harmful) but I personally would not waste resources by installing an application to do what my OS does already.

[diddy]

If memory serves, bith Apple and Microsoft had patches ready the day the announcement was made. There really was never any need anyway for another software program. Sounds like advertising more than anything.

[Kev]

Originally Posted by Salamander

If you use Windows 2000 or XP, the OS already connects to an internet time server (ITS) to keep the PC time accurate which is all that Rocket Time appears to do anyway. If you Google the right terms, you can find instructions on how to change the default ITS in Windows 2K/XP if you don't want to use the default server.

Network time servers provide the computer with Universal Coordinated Time and the computer adjusts that time for local time based on your time zone settings. If your computer does not know it is daylight savings time because patches to adjust for the DST changes have not been applied, the time will be an hour off even if you connect to a network time server.

But, as you said, updates for DST behavior are available for the operating system itself, there is no reason to start using some third party application unless you just want to.

[Sly Dog]

My Blackberry received an update over the past weekend to patch for the change in DST.

[Andrew of Ware]

A few years ago British Summer Time began (or ended) on a date different from the published ones. However, my computer still went off (or on to) GMT correctly. On my old computer the time was set each time I turned on by checking with an Internet clock (Precision Time, I seem to remember). I haven't done this with my new computer, but it seems to be be accurate and last autumn clocked on to GMT correctly.

[FullMetal]

microsoft and apple already have patches for it. Rocket time... just looking at the software, was created in 2002, long before the DST changes were made, or even announced. Also it seems to be just a program to keep your clock accurate. But to be honest the 25 cent crystal thats in your computer, pretty much the same 25 cent crystal is in your quartz watch.

Also looking into it, I can't find anything on Rocket.time's website that shows that it corrects the dst.

so while not a harmful program, doesn't do what your tech suggested, and with windows XP or mac OSX or linux, not really necessary, all 3 of them can sync with time servers which are the exact same time servers that this program looks at.

[Cervus]

The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005, passed by the U.S. Congress July, 2005, extended Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the U.S. by approximately four weeks. As a result, beginning in 2007, DST will start three weeks earlier on March 11, 2007, and end one week later on November 4, 2007, resulting in a new DST period that is four weeks longer than previously observed.

How on earth did I miss this? This is awesome! It means I can not only stay out hiking longer, but I won't have to walk home from my night class in the dark.

[Mad Jay]

Folks, please note that even though the OS is going to be patched, java based applications do not use the OS for DST conversions. If you have a java based program installed, you might have to either upgrade to newer version of java or install a patch.

Here's the article from Sun

Problems Affecting Java Applications

The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) stores rules about DST observance all around the globe. Older JREs will have outdated rules that will be superseded by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. As a result, applications running on an older JRE may report incorrect time from March 11, 2007 through April 2, 2007 and from October 29, 2007 through November 4, 2007.
Solutions for Java Applications

If you are concerned about application failures that may result from these DST changes, you should update your Java Runtime Environment. To see which Java platform versions have the correct time rules to handle the DST changes that will affect U.S. time zones in 2007, see the question Which JRE version updates include which versions of the Olson data? in the Java SE platform USDST FAQ.

For version 1.4 or later, you can also use a tool to modify the time zone data within your existing JRE. Get the "TZupdater" tool from the Java SE download page.

A version of the TZupdater for JDK/JRE version 1.3.1 is also available to customers who have subscribed to a Sun support contract. Customers with support contracts can download the version of TZupdater for JDK/JRE version 1.3.1 from http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/docum...ey=1-9-88428-1. The version of TZupdater for JDK/JRE version 1.3.1 supports Windows platforms and the Solaris operating system.

I work for a federal agency and we got an e-mail about this problem. They didn't give us a patch we were just told to keep an eye on the time for outlook appoinments between the second sunday in March and the first in April.

[ganzfeld]

Yet another reason not to have daylight savings time.

[amorrison50]

Originally Posted by ganzfeld

Yet another reason not to have daylight savings time.

Or better yet, a reason to stay on DST year-round!

[Die Capacitrix]

Originally Posted by amorrison50

Or better yet, a reason to stay on DST year-round!

Can we PLEASE? I have enough trouble with friends/family in the U.S. who cannot understand that Europe starts DST on a different day than the U.S. And the now the U.S. changes two weeks before Europe, not one week after.

And it is yet another thing that my Swiss coworkers ask me why the U.S. is doing such a crazy thing. How do I know? I'm here.

[Troberg]

Can we PLEASE? I have enough trouble with friends/family in the U.S. who cannot understand that Europe starts DST on a different day than the U.S. And the now the U.S. changes two weeks before Europe, not one week after.

But all of Europe don't switch at the same time, that would be too easy. Really makes it a mess when you are travelling around that time.

[Tweetilynn]

My computer at home has Windows ME, which is no longer supported. When I run the "check for critical updates" there were none. I went to the Microsoft web page but couldn't find anything, but I may well have overlooked it! I guess my question is, since I only use my computer at home to "play" and to check an occasional account balace, do I really need to worry about it?

[Kev]

Originally Posted by Tweetilynn

My computer at home has Windows ME, which is no longer supported. When I run the "check for critical updates" there were none. I went to the Microsoft web page but couldn't find anything, but I may well have overlooked it! I guess my question is, since I only use my computer at home to "play" and to check an occasional account balace, do I really need to worry about it?

You can go into your time and date settings and tell it not to automatically adjust for DST and then manually change the system time yourself when the time changes or you can live with it being an hour off four weeks out of the year.

[Tweetilynn]

Thanks Kev, I appreciate the help. That was a much better answer than I got from my IT director this morning. I sent him an email and told him that there wasn't a patch available for Windows ME, and once he clarified what I meant my DST, he told me there wasn't a patch available.

[Not_Done_Living]

Microsoft has in fact releqased seeral versions of this patch. I manage about 2000 windows servers and they had to be patched many times..

Same as java.. AND Oracle.. (why can't they just pull the time from the system clock?!?!?!?!)

[Kev]

Originally Posted by Not_Done_Living

Microsoft has in fact releqased seeral versions of this patch. I manage about 2000 windows servers and they had to be patched many times..

Same as java.. AND Oracle.. (why can't they just pull the time from the system clock?!?!?!?!)

Not for versions of the OS they no longer support, such as 98 and ME which is what Tweetilynn has.

[Mad Jay]

Originally Posted by Not_Done_Living

.

Same as java.. AND Oracle.. (why can't they just pull the time from the system clock?!?!?!?!)

Because java has to be, you know, 'platform independent' So, they don't rely on the platform to do the time conversion. But, they rely on the platform to get the time