Daylight Saving Time and Java

Spring forward, fall back. Got that. But has your Java got it?

I, for one, will be tweaking some coding on the night of March 10 to ensure that my Java runs correctly on March 11, when Daylight Saving Time goes into effect in many locations this year. But I didn't come here to discuss the settings on my coffeepot.

As you doubtless know, Daylight Saving Time comes earlier this year, and some Java code out in the wild doesn't know that. Sun has an extensive FAQ on DST, plus an overview.

The complexities of local time are so peculiar that one is tempted to go all Rodney King on how we all ought to just use GMT. Of course, even that standard hasn't always been universally accepted

Maybe we should ask the people who publish TV schedules how they manage the DST transition. As Homer Tilton pointed out five years ago, some of these folks somehow manage to publish a program schedule that smooths over the fall or spring time-slip as though it didn't exist. Wonder what their trick is?

Posted by Mike Swaine at 06:05 PM  Permalink