Re: [POLL] Proposed syntax for timestamps with time zone info (was: [FEATURE REQUEST] Timezone support in org-mode datestamps and org-agenda)

[Ihor Radchenko]

Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> writes:

> Where you Ihor responded with this message:
> https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/emacs-orgmode/2023-02/msg00018.html
>
>> [2022-11-12 14:00 @UTC+2]
>> [2022-11-12 14:00 @UTC-2:30]
>
>> are also fine within the proposed format.
>
> I am not sure what did you intend to show, did you intend to tell
> that:
>
> - 2022-11-12 14:00 @UTC+2 means 2022-11-12 12:00 @UTC ?
>
> In my understanding "@UTC" means "UTC time zone". From above first
> examples it is very confusing to use "UTC" as designation plus
> positive or negative prefix.
>
> It is not common to represent it that way. As if there is any
> designation for UTC, like "UTC" or "@UTC" or "Z", then there is no
> prefix shown, or if any, there will be zero.
>
> And I said, representing time that way by mixing word "UTC" with
> prefix would be confusing, as that practically creates new type of
> time representation that is not ordinarily used.

I mostly wanted to refer to TZ POSIX variable format, which allows
"ABBREVIATION+OFFSET" format. "UTC" is actually ignored there.

Further discussion revealed that UTC+2 is, in fact, even confusing. For
you and also because POSIX uses reversed symbol convention with +2 in TZ
referring to "time 2 hours __before__ UTC time".

@UTC+2 is not something we will recommend. It will be technically
POSIX-complaint, just as @BLAH-1 would be. Either one does not make
much sense.

-- 
Ihor Radchenko // yantar92,
Org mode contributor,
Learn more about Org mode at <https://orgmode.org/>.
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