15 ms·

I'm not sure why computer scientists really care. Call me a naysayer if you like: but why can't we just ignore this problem? Time as we think of it in computer

by anonu 6y ago

I'm not sure why computer scientists really care. Call me a naysayer if you like: but why can't we just ignore this problem? Time as we think of it in computers is an overlay over time in the physical world. If they're off by a millisecond will anyone notice? I was a high frequency trader for a long time. The only thing that matters in time world is that computers agree on the same time. Not that computer time is aligned with real world time.

amelius 6y ago
Yes. The only ones who will notice the difference are the astronomers, who created the problem in the first place (unless the time-difference becomes so big that it starts affecting perceived daylight times). On the other hand, it would be great if some authority could release a package with time conversion routines that everybody could include in their software projects and be done with it. However, every language needs its own implementation, which is a problem created/not fixed by IT people.