Understanding time formats

[Frank Rizzo]

Sometimes I look through the email source and I see time entry like this:

Fri, 10 Oct 2003 13:40:40 GMT

Does it mean that the person who sent it is in GMT time zone and that
they time there was 13:40:40?

Is there a website that has a good explation for this?

[_Andy_]

Re: Understanding time formats

On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 14:37:20 -0700, Frank Rizzo <none@none.co m> wrote:
[color=blue]
>Sometimes I look through the email source and I see time entry like this:[/color]

This isn't the right group, but...
[color=blue]
>
>Fri, 10 Oct 2003 13:40:40 GMT
>
>Does it mean that the person who sent it is in GMT time zone and that
>they time there was 13:40:40?[/color]

No. It makes no assertions as to what zone the sender is in. Purely
the moment in time.
[color=blue]
>
>Is there a website that has a good explation for this?[/color]

RFC822 is the place to start. RFC1036 might also be worth a quick
read.

[Frank Rizzo]

Re: Understanding time formats

_Andy_ wrote:[color=blue]
> On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 14:37:20 -0700, Frank Rizzo <none@none.co m> wrote:
>[color=green]
>>Fri, 10 Oct 2003 13:40:40 GMT
>>
>>Does it mean that the person who sent it is in GMT time zone and that
>>they time there was 13:40:40?[/color]
>
> No. It makes no assertions as to what zone the sender is in. Purely
> the moment in time.[/color]

So, what does this time mean? Does it mean that when the message was
sent, it was 13:40:40 in GMT time zone?

Thanks

[Herfried K. Wagner [MVP]]

Re: Understanding time formats

* Frank Rizzo <none@none.co m> scripsit:[color=blue]
> Fri, 10 Oct 2003 13:40:40 GMT
>
> Does it mean that the person who sent it is in GMT time zone and that
> they time there was 13:40:40?
>
> Is there a website that has a good explation for this?[/color]

<http://www.cl.cam.ac.u k/~mgk25/iso-time.html>

--
Herfried K. Wagner
MVP · VB Classic, VB.NET
<http://www.mvps.org/dotnet> (updated!)

[_Andy_]

Re: Understanding time formats

On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 15:43:38 -0700, Frank Rizzo <none@none.co m> wrote:
[color=blue]
>_Andy_ wrote:[color=green]
>> On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 14:37:20 -0700, Frank Rizzo <none@none.co m> wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>>>Fri, 10 Oct 2003 13:40:40 GMT
>>>
>>>Does it mean that the person who sent it is in GMT time zone and that
>>>they time there was 13:40:40?[/color]
>>
>> No. It makes no assertions as to what zone the sender is in. Purely
>> the moment in time.[/color]
>
>So, what does this time mean? Does it mean that when the message was
>sent, it was 13:40:40 in GMT time zone?[/color]

Yes. The time the message was sent was "13:40 GMT".

[Fergus Cooney]

Re: Understanding time formats

Hi Frank,

That's
RFC 822 - Standard for the format of ARPA Internet text messages

http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc822.html

But the bit about time doesn't say anything about this particular
newsgroup.

Your message (in Outlook Express) appears to me as sent at 10:37pm.
The message source gives: Date: Fri, 10 Oct 2003 14:37:20 -0700
I'm in London where the time zone is BST (GMT plus 1 hour).

I'm taking this to mean that you posted your message at 2:37pm in a time
zone 8 hours behind mine.

This message is being posted at 11:49pm BST. Compare this with the time of
arrival shown in your newsreader. (And tell me - because I'm curious about
this too. Sometimes a reply to a message will be date/time stamped earlier
than the query and I haven't yet understood why).

Regards,
Fergus

[Rick Mogstad]

Re: Understanding time formats


"Fergus Cooney" <filter-1@tesco.net> wrote in message
news:OPqn0C4jDH A.1488@TK2MSFTN GP12.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
>
>Sometimes a reply to a message will be date/time stamped earlier
> than the query and I haven't yet understood why).[/color]


Usually because the people have their clock set a few minutes differently.

[Mario]

Re: Understanding time formats

Hi Frank,

Yes, GMT means exactly that, GMT.

But do not trust date/time to be always correct.

People who travel with notebooks may have a wrong time.
Others may simple have a delay.
Virus somethimes change date/time.
And, of course, it can be forged.

Regards,
Mario


"Frank Rizzo" none@none.com wrote in message
news:%23o76DX3j DHA.1948@TK2MSF TNGP12.phx.gbl. ..[color=blue]
> Sometimes I look through the email source and I see time entry like this:
>
> Fri, 10 Oct 2003 13:40:40 GMT
>
> Does it mean that the person who sent it is in GMT time zone and that
> they time there was 13:40:40?
>
> Is there a website that has a good explation for this?
>[/color]

[Rick Mogstad]

Re: Understanding time formats


"Mario" <mz.silva@DONTW ANTSPAMmail.pt> wrote in message
news:%23dldUO4j DHA.2216@TK2MSF TNGP12.phx.gbl. ..[color=blue]
> Hi Frank,
>
> Yes, GMT means exactly that, GMT.
>
> But do not trust date/time to be always correct.
>
> People who travel with notebooks may have a wrong time.[/color]


How would this affect the post times? I assume that if they didnt change the time, they also
didnt change the time zone? Then all would still look the same in your newsreader

[Mario]

Re: Understanding time formats

"post times"? "your newsreader"?

What is exactly your question?
Has anything to do with Visual Basic (this is a VB newsgroup!)?

If you are wondering about the times you see on your Newsgroup client, of
course they are adjusted to your local time.
You are GMT-7, so your last post (16:15) shows here (I'm GMT, summer time
+1) 0:15 (Saturday). That is a trivial sum.

Regards,
Mario

"Rick Mogstad" <rick@NOSPAM.co mputetosuit.com > wrote in message
news:O%23imkR4j DHA.1072@TK2MSF TNGP09.phx.gbl. ..[color=blue]
>
> "Mario" <mz.silva@DONTW ANTSPAMmail.pt> wrote in message
> news:%23dldUO4j DHA.2216@TK2MSF TNGP12.phx.gbl. ..[color=green]
> > Hi Frank,
> >
> > Yes, GMT means exactly that, GMT.
> >
> > But do not trust date/time to be always correct.
> >
> > People who travel with notebooks may have a wrong time.[/color]
>
>
> How would this affect the post times? I assume that if they didnt change[/color]
the time, they also[color=blue]
> didnt change the time zone? Then all would still look the same in your[/color]
newsreader[color=blue]
>
>
>[/color]

[Fergus Cooney]

Re: Understanding time formats

Hi Mario, Rick,

Rick's question came after he quoted this line from your post.
[color=blue]
> People who travel with notebooks may have a wrong time.[/color]

He was just noting that while they may have travelled to a different time
zone but not adjusted their notebook, it wouldn't affect the reporting of the
time of their post in someone's newsreader because the newsreader reports the
message time in its own terms (ie. local to itself). A post from the original
timezone and time would be shown in the newsreader with the same time as a
post from the new time zone and time, if the notebook had been adjusted.

However you were correct that notebook users can cause some confusion when
posting from a different time zone, in as much as the time shown in the
<message source> would be incorrect.

!! Has anything to do with Visual Basic (this is a VB newsgroup!)?

None of this has, methinks. But it clears up a question I've had for quite
some time, so I'm happy ;-)

Regards both,
Fergus