Re: [PATCH] Remove locale timezone information

[keld at keldix dot com]

On Wed, Aug 05, 2015 at 12:01:26PM +0200, keld@keldix.com wrote:
> On Wed, Aug 05, 2015 at 05:07:48AM -0400, Mike Frysinger wrote:
> > On 12 Jun 2015 17:05, Marko Myllynen wrote:
> > > as discussed in the thread starting at
> > > 
> > > https://sourceware.org/ml/libc-alpha/2015-06/msg00098.html
> > > 
> > > it looks like the best options is to remove locale timezone information
> > > from locales which currently provide it (in incomplete or incorrect
> > > fashion) rather than to start duplicating tzdata info in glibc.
> > 
> > thanks, pushed now!
> > -mike
> 
> That is the wrong direction. Please revert the change.

Let me explain. We would like to make the installation process easier
for users. That is, if we can remove one more question under the installation
process of linux, that would be a  goal. If the timezone is fully determined
by the choice of locale, then there is no need to ask for the timezone.

Currently the timezone is often determined by a click on a map, which is quite
error prone, because the world is big and it is hard to hit the right place.
That process is also time consuming. Some users omit the step,
just using the default, which is often wrong.

Furthermore it is not politically correct timezone information in these apps,
they give the time zone as a city name, which is quite politicalle problematic
There is a growing political uproar against the big cities and the associated
political powers. We just had an elelction here in Denmark where this issue
(Not Linux locale names, but country vs the capital:-) were probably the most
defining issue. Also think of the USA with Washington DC against rural America.

For countries with more timezones, the locale data helps narrowing down the
choices. And there are not that many countries with more than 1 timezone,
eg USA, Canada, Russia and Greenland. Many big countries like China and India
only have 1 timezone , and the countries in Europe and Africa and South America
and Asia almost all have only 1 timezone.

So the locale timezone info helps doing an easier job - and also a more culturally
acceptable job. I hope we are all for going in that direction.

Best regards
keld