Date format in Forums
Please, please, please!!!
There is no such thing as "European date format"! There is though a STANDARD way of writing/displaying date, and that is the ISO date format (dont remember the ISO number now). Which IS in the format YYYY-MM-DD, and nothing else. So PLEASE make that an option in Forum settings. Now I have to use a confusing "European date format, extended", which STILL isn't a European format. I can't use the "European" or "US" formats, becouse I can't even figure out which number is the year or month even! I know there is no such beast as "European date", becouse I live in Sweden, an European country, and we DON'T use the so called "European date", we DO use ISO standard way of displaying date (which also happens to be the US and English standard way of displaying dates, but you still use the old, nonstandard way of expressing dates). |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
So please tell me what date this is 07-08-08. No, I won't tell you if it is in US or UK format (as there is no European date format, other then EU use of the ISO 8601:1988). Becouse that is what the rest of the world feels like when they see those two incompatible (braindead?) formats when used to display a date. Compare that to ISO international standard format for dates, 2008-07-08. It's pretty clear, even for US and UK citizens, what part is the year. And then it is only to count down (Year, month, day). You do not need to remember if the dates starts with the two (don't years have four digits?) last digits in the year, or ends with the same. And which order are days and month? Impossible to know just by looking at the digits when days are one of the first 12 days in the month. End even harder if both month and day is around the two last digits in the year... And do not make me go to the configuration page in this forum and look up how the US or UK dates looks like (Hmm. Did I set date format to US or GB format this time? And which is which?). I realy don't want to have an extra window open just to see how the date is format. So 1) PLEASE remove that statment about UK format is an European date format. If there is one, it is the ISO standard date format. 2) PLEASE add ISO date format, as it is the International format for writing dates. And as the standard it should be used, and possible the default. Isn't much of the arguments about using Open Source that it follows international standards? |
Quote:
See the other post by me with links about the international standard format for writing dates, ISO 8601:1988. |
So I need to memorize another ISO number? Isn't the ISO form designed for fields in a computer so that they sort alphabetically. I agree however that 01-02-2008 is ambiguous, but if you have it set one way, then you don't have to figure it out every time. If you tell someone the date, do you put the year first? I think that "European" form is due to the way Europeans express or write the date, as in 5 March, 1953.
|
Quote:
But what XavierP is trying to explain is the date formats are probably like they are because that's how vBulletin codes and programmed them, probably because it's based out of the U.S.. But this site is based out of the U.S. so if in doubt, expect it to be in a US type format by default. Every country and site is different with different standards. You wouldn't come to the U.S. and demand we speak your native language or complain if we don't understand if you don't speak english now would you? Visit another country, either learn their standards or language or don't visit them I say. It really can't be that hard for you to learn another standard. It's not like we're asking you to learn a totally new language now are we? That's my two cents I guess. |
Quote:
And please. I AM an European, and I NEVER use the UK (or the US) format. We ALLWAYS use the ISO standard here where I live (in Europe). We use the so called "European extended standard" in text (but we of course doesn't use english named for month, as most other European countries). So my argument here is that it isn't one "European" standard of writing dates. As most countries in Europe 1) don't use DD-MM-YY format. They use ISO format for numeric dates 2) use our languages names for months and not the english ones (as I use "mars" and not "march"). And still, the ISO standard format IS the standard. Not the UK nor the US format. I do not say that you should remove the UK or US formats, I just say that the international standard way of writing dates (have you read any of the links???) should be added. And possible as the default. As I wrote. Isn't one argument for using Open source software that it follows international standards? So why don't this site, which is about Open source as I understand it, use ISO 8601:1988 as one possible date format? No, I don't care that US uses inch etc instead of the by US standardisation organisation prefered metric units. But I do care that I can't use proper date format here, as we use it in Europe. And that some people try to convince me that they do know better than me what is used here in Europe. No, UK is not all Europe. They still use gallon instead of liters, as ALL the rest of Europe uses... |
Quote:
Quote:
In the U.S. most use the standards given and presented to them. If I came to Sweden or visited a Swedish site, I'd probably either learn the language if I had to, learn the terminology used and or date format if I wanted to continue using the site, etc. It's really that easy, you simply can't please everyone in the world. And from what I recall, I believe this date format has been brought up before and Jeremy suggested they add it as a feature request. http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...format-538302/ Sadly I don't see the feature request anywhere. |
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
So with your arguments, as I understands it, it is ok for US citizens to claim that some strange format is/should be used by Europe citizens, when it actually is only used in one small country here? And that this problem is easily fixed in the code? PHP has already support for ISO date format. It is just a matter of corection something that is wrong in this installation, a bug actually. Quote:
Secondly, US and UK dates is a BIG hassel to learn. I was not born learning to handle that strange creature. I don't care if you continue to use it. But I don't want, and shouldn't need to. There is software that should take care of that for me. So fix the bug so I can have it my way and you your way. Is it so hard to understand that the software easily can handle ISO standard format too? As it IS an ISO standard. Thirdly, I don't travel to US becouse it is no loger the country of freedom. I visit this site through Internet, and don't have to take the risk of be put into jail without trial and date for a court session. Yes, it is of topic, but you brought it up when you argued so badly about "do it MY way or take the HIGHWAY". So, if it isn't that hard, as you claim. Why don't you learn the propper international standard date format? Then you will be prepared to travel outside US. Worse yet. Why do YOU deny ME to have dates presented to ME in a way I am used to? When it DOESN'T take away the possibilities to have dates formated in YOUR prefered way to YOU? |
Quote:
|
Quote:
I DO care that this site claims that a non european format is an "European" format. That is a bug or error, and should as such be corrected, shouldn't it? There seems to be people in this thread that thinks it is a correct European format, which it isn't. I DO care that I can't have dates presented to ME in a European format, the ISO date format. That is a feature that I ask for. All this is on topic, isn't it? Quote:
I also do not say that you need to write in any European language, except english. I DO say that among date formats, ISO should also be an option. What date format you chose to use, is up to you. But I don't think that you should demand that I use US date format. Not when there IS a international standard for how dates should be printed and that is not among the possible options. So. this is a feature request AND a bug report. Feature: Make ISO date format possible as a selection of presenting dates. Bug: The so called "European" date format is wrong. There is no such thing, except possible the ISO standard. It is UK date format though, and should be presented as such. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
As a European (despite what Eurosceptics will claim) the dd-mmm-yyyy format is easy for me to understand. Also, fast moving threads will not even have a date on them, they will say "today" or "yesterday", beyond that all I worry about is the month and year to see how old a thread or answer is.
Yes, the ISO format is good and understandable and I use it for file naming conventions regularly, but on a semi-formal, friendly board like this it really isn't that important. To me, at least. If you would like to add it as a feature request though you are free to do so. Go to http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/project.php to add it. |
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:24 AM. |