Hi everybody. First of all i'm french, so forgive about my bad english

So, this is the issue : when IPB refers to a time-zone (display, select or whatever), it uses the GMT (greenwhich mean time) system. For example, it displays "GMT+1".

The Greenwhich mean time system is not used anymore actually. The official time worldwide is UTC (which means coordinated universal time). Whithout doing some physics, you have to know that GMT time was measured by the astronomers, taking for reference system the earth revolving around the sun, whereas UTC is taking for reference system a bunch of atomic clocks, which are far more precise than astronomic measurements.

UTC is the official time worldwide since 1972, thus everyone uses UTC time, not GMT, which is not precise enough.

In a nutshell, writing GMT+1 does not make any sense since 1972, because every computer or every clock uses UTC time (unless you are an astronomer and needs the GMT system for special measurements).

Thats why it would be better if all the GMT references in IPB were replaced by UTC, because the time displayed everywhere on earth including IPB forums is UTC, not GMT.

Thanks for your attention

Je crois qu'ils l'emploient parce qu'il est si employé couramment à travers le forum. Et en outre, je n'ai jamais su le format d'UTC. Il est intéressant, mais je ne sais pas si l'IPS le changera en UTC.

I believe they use it because it is so widely used across the forum. And besides, I never knew about the UTC format. It's interesting, but I don't know if IPS will change it to UTC.

Actually, it is not a format but a time.

For example, now, perhaps GMT is 4h 54min 35sec while UTC is 4h 54min 40 sec. And the "right" time now is UTC.

However you cas write as well UTC+1, UTC+2...

That's not a big deal, they just have to replace "GMT" by "UTC" (because what is displayed is UTC and not GMT). Obviously, there's not a huge difference between GMT and UTC, but it's more rigorous to say UTC, because GMT doesn't mean anything anymore.

PS : thanks for having translated

People probably won't know what UTC is though - I know I didn't until I read this. I think everyone knows what GMT is. Also, I can't see the few seconds difference having much bearing on people's forums.

Perhaps people won't know what UTC is, but do they even know what GMT precisely is ? I think reading "UTC : Dublin, London..." or "UTC+1 : Brussels, Paris..." is as easy to understand as "GMT :... " "GMT+1...".

I agree, that's not a huge difference, but that's not right.

But GMT is used to refer to UTC nowadays anyway.

I really don't see this as a top priority.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/



GMT is still used, and more people understand it. Changing the wording so that a few people that know what UTC is really serves little benefit to the community as a whole, no?

I never said it was a top priority, that's a suggestion

I'm against this suggestions, or at least make it choosable for admins.

Maybe it is as RP1700 is saying (I'm not sure, where do you get that GMT is the non-corrected time version?), but, as Sam mentioned, even then people use GTM to refer to the "real" time (UTC) anyway.

So, I see these two only as alternative abbreviations. And where I come from GMT it much more popular, UTC would create more confusion (I remember having to search for what timezone UTC exactly is when I saw it on some websites). I certainly want to keep GMT on my board.

If I am not mistaken, all GMT is at this point is the UTC time being called something else.

As if I am not mistaken, PHP will base the time on UTC as other programming systems similar systems ( not postive ).

If GMT was simply renamed as UTC, then this is a very simple phrase edit that can be done quickly within the ACP. No need for a completely system re-write.

I'd rather see multiple options, I mean, hate to think my forum visitors' time may be off by a whopping 5 seconds! This should end the confusion (LOL):


GMT-12 Eniwetok
GMT-11 Samoa
GMT-10 Hawaii
*GMT-9.5 French Polynesia
GMT-9 Alaska
GMT-8 PST, Pacific US
*GMT-# Arizona/Navajo Nations
GMT-7 MST, Mountain US
GMT-6 CST, Central US
GMT-5 EST, Eastern US
GMT-4 Atlantic, Canada
*GMT-3.5 Canada (NST)
GMT-3 Brazil, Buenos Aries
GMT-2 Mid-Atlantic
GMT-1 Cape Verdes

GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
TAI
UT0
UT1
UT1R
DUT1
UTC (Universal Time Coordinate)
UTC1
UTC2
Z: Zulu
Alpha
Beta
ITS/NTP
RFC-867
RFC-868

GMT+1 Berlin, Rome
GMT+2 Israel, Cairo
GMT+3 Moscow, Kuwait
*GMT+3.5 Iran
GMT+4 Abu Dhabi, Muscat
*GMT+4.5 Afghanistan
GMT+5 Islamabad, Karachi
*GMT+5.5 India
*GMT+5.75 Nepal
GMT+6 Almaty, Dhaka
*GMT+6.5 Cocos Islands
GMT+7 Bangkok, Jakarta
GMT+8 Hong Kong, Beijing
*GMT+8.75 Caiguna–Eucla–Border Village
GMT+9 Tokyo, Osaka
*GMT+9.5 Australia (ACST)
GMT+10 Sydney, Melbourne, Guam
*GMT+10.5 Lord Howe Island
GMT+11 Magadan, Soloman Island
*GMT+11.5 Norfolk Island
GMT+12 Fiji, Wellington, Auckland

*GMT+12.75 New Zealand (Chatham Islands)
*GMT+13 Kiribati (Phoenix Islands - formerly UTC-11, advanced by skipping 31 December 1994)
*GMT+14 Kiribati (Line Islands - formerly UTC-10, advanced by skipping 31 December 1994)

Yes, that's GMT+12, +13 and +14...

Indeed. I don't think the IPS team should make any change to the current language phrases as users could change it to any acronym of their choosing.



Totally Plus One.