Re: Removing "CMOS clock set to UTC" question

> On Wed, 12 Jun 2024 at 17:14, Bertrand Petit
> <freebsd-hackers@phoe.frmug.org> wrote:
> >
> >
> >         It is sad to see an option removed because "it confuse users".
> 
> It's not only that it's confusing, it's that there is not much value
> in asking the question.
> 
> > I agree
> > it is broken so we need to fix it: we should make the option's effect obvious
> > so that anyone can understand it. I porpose that in place of asking for a UTC
> > or local selection we query "what time is it?" instead. Two choices would be
> > presented as (live) timestamps, each simultaneously showing the effect of
> > UTC/local time CMOS setting would have later on the host's wall clock. The
> > task of the user is to select the option matching any external reference he
> > sees fit.
> 
> This is not the point of the question though -- once we have a
> timezone selected and the answer to the UTC question the installer
> prompts for the user to set the time; it doesn't really matter what it
> was before.. Despite being exactly what the question asks, it isn't
> really important whether the CMOS clock is currently set to UTC or
> local time. What the installer needs to know is whether the user wants
> the real-time CMOS clock to contain UTC or local time.

You could use this data to present a time based on CMOS with and without
the TZ offset and derive the correct wall_cmos_clock value.

Please try to make things better, not just less confusing.


-- 
Rod Grimes                                                 rgrimes@freebsd.org