Re: [FEATURE REQUEST] Timezone support in org-mode datestamps and org-agenda

[Thomas S. Dye]

Aloha Tim,

Tim Cross <theophilusx@gmail.com> writes:

> "Thomas S. Dye" <tsd@tsdye.online> writes:
>
> > Aloha Tim,
> >
> > > UTC is a time zone - just one where offset is +0000
> >
> > UTC is absolute time.  It lacks the spatial component that 
> > defines a time zone.
>
> Really? I would have thought the prime meridian was the spacial
> component for UTC? I thought the full long time zone name was 
> Etc/UTC
> and UTC as the abbreviation.
>
> Regardless, in all the libraries I've used, you can use Etc/UTC 
> or UTC
> in exactly the same way you would use something like 
> Australia/Sydney or
> AEST. So perhaps, from a pedantic standpoint, it is not a time 
> zone, but
> for all intent and purpose in this discussion, I feel that point 
> is
> irrelevant.

Agreed.  It does seem irrelevant for time zone libraries.

Nevertheless, from the Org perspective it might not be.  An 
occurrence, which marks changes in the nature or relations of 
things at a time, requires absolute time.  Meetings, which involve 
a change in relation among participants, are occurrences.  IMO, 
this indicates Org should give occurrences a UTC timestamp, then 
translate that for each of the participants using their local time 
zone.  The insane interval problems that Ihor brought up are moot 
in absolute time.  A single timestamp serves a meeting regardless 
of whether the participants are all in one time zone or spread 
around the globe.

An occurrence contrasts with an event, which is tied to the user's 
space/time.  Time here is relative to the user.  IMO, this means 
that Org should give events a timestamp without reference to 
either absolute time or a particular time zone, like the one it 
uses now.

hth,
Tom

--
Thomas S. Dye
https://tsdye.online/tsdye