Re: Removing "CMOS clock set to UTC" question

On Thu, Jun 13, 2024, 7:51 AM Rodney W. Grimes <
freebsd-rwg@gndrsh.dnsmgr.net> wrote:

> > 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.
>

If you ask timezone first, you could ask the use if thise times are right.
But if rtc is afu this won't help so you need a plan for that.

Warner


Please try to make things better, not just less confusing.
>
>
> --
> Rod Grimes
> rgrimes@freebsd.org
>
>