On 10/5/2026 6:28 PM, Tim Parenti via tz wrote:
On Mon, 5 Oct 2026 at 13:04, Garrett Wollman via tz <[email protected]> wrote:
So the politicians don't think in terms of software vendors
distributing updates, they think of *constituents no longer needing to
reset the clock on the microwave oven*.
As we discuss on the other thread a potential "FAQ/primer for
government officials" and ways to increase its visibility…
https://lists.iana.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/4LSU3NBLPI47QCRPI5WS4W4E2J5X75FS/
Whatever we might end up putting together may well start with some
version of:
Q. Don't computers and phones mostly handle this themselves nowadays?
A. Well, yes, but how do you suppose it is that they know what to do
and when? ;)
I did a quick search for "how do I change the time zone for my province"
and Google linked to the US DOT.
(The results were better when I changed it to "my Canadian province"
with a link to National Research Council Canada.)
The general answer was "an act of government or legislation" ... not a
reference to the mechanics behind propagating those changes to electronics.
BTW: The US DOT website states in part: [1]
/A typical time zone rulemaking to change one county normally takes
between 6 months and 1 year to complete./
/If the decision is made to change the time zone boundary, DOT attempts
to make the change effective at the next changeover to or from Daylight
Saving Time, whichever is appropriate, to minimize confusion and
disruption. /
When official government policy is less than a year it is an uphill battle.
[1]
https://www.transportation.gov/regulations/procedure-moving-area-one-time-zone-another
