> There are significant problems with "data %whatever" approach that makes the "cool web app" a superior solution. the GNU date command is one of many options

> There are significant problems with "data %whatever" approach that makes the "cool web app" a superior solution. the GNU date command is one of many options that honestly should be quicker for most developers. > It's the same reason why I — and many others — find it convenient to Google "500 pounds in Kgs" in place of GNU Units. Faster, intuitive and fits into my web-development workflow. I didn't specifically recommend the GNU tool, (and I wouldn't actually recommend that one as the first option anyway), the point was more "whats wrong with a tool you already have on your workstation". For your example of pounds to kg, Spotlight gives me an answer quicker than any webpage will load, doesn't rely on an internet connection, doesn't show me any ads, nor does it use this information to create a profile that says I might want to either a) buy a calculator or b) go to a BBW dating site. Back to the dates: Every computer language in common use and most of the obscure ones handle dates and times. If you're writing code and can't fire up a REPL or use a one-liner to convert a date to timestamp or the reverse, I'd suggest you don't really know that language. > How would you go about generating timestamp for a particular date? I guess there isn't any alternative to typing the whole string...<snip> plenty of keystrokes against what is point-and-click I'm not even sure what you're suggesting here... oh. I see. I refer you back to the first part of this reply then.