This site makes extensive use of JavaScript.
Please
enable JavaScript
in your browser.
Live
PTR
Classic
TBC
Suggestion: Date format
Post Reply
Return to board index
Post by
jure12
I understand that MM/dd/yyyy (03/19/2009) date format is used in US (and that's where this website is from). But, as you might know, many European countries do not use that format, but rather dd/MM/yyyy (19/03/2009).
Whenever MM and DD are numbers below 13 I have to re-think the date of the post/comment/blog on this website. It can be really annoying (try to permute all the data you have, to see what I mean :) )
I was wondering if you could change MM/dd/yyyy format to MMM-dd-yyyy?
In a word, 03/19/2009 would be Mar/19/2009 (or Mar-19-2009). This is
by far
more readable for European users, and I suppose it's pretty much the same for US users?
Post by
ArgentSun
I concur. Even after almost 3 years in the US, I still need to pause and think when I see a date written in the traditional American format.
Post by
pelf
Or, for compatibility and numeric goodness: YYYY-MM-DD, which happens to be my favorite and it conveniently sorts in lists!
Post by
Zhivago
Wouldn't a better change be to allow the user to pick the date format on the settings page?
Post by
jure12
Wouldn't a better change be to allow the user to pick the date format on the settings page?
Sure, that would be even better, it's just that the original idea is simpler to implement.
Post by
123022
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
Matsemann
I agree with OP.
1/8/2009 can mean 1. Aug 2009, or 8. Jan 2009, depending on which website I'm currently viewing.
Post by
Wildhorn
01/08/09 is even worst!
1 August 2009
8 January 2009
8 September 2001
9 August 2001
THIS IS MADNESS!
Post by
ArgentSun
I like the word "concur".
Post by
pelf
I like the word "concur".
I concur.
Post by
128491
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
jure12
I'd say that the effort/effect ratio in this one is
huge
yet no blue responses here. Seems like
wtf
threads and
random locks
are what gives quality to the site, not some trivial to implement internationalization.
Post by
ArgentSun
No blue reply means "We read it, we'll consider it". And a green reply is sometimes just as good, we, moderators, tend to pass on good ideas to the admins. Rule of thumb, anything approved by a moderator and not disapproved by an administrator is either in the "consideration list" or the "to do list".
Post by
jure12
No blue reply means "We read it, we'll consider it"
hehe, so optimistic :)
And a green reply is sometimes just as good, we, moderators, tend to pass on good ideas to the admins.
nice, tnx :)
Post by
57943
This post was from a user who has deleted their account.
Post by
theonelegend
In my work we us DDMMMYY so there's no confusion, it can be very confusing to open a foreign passport (from a US perspective) and see a date that is compatible as DDMMYY or MMDDYY and not know which. Leave it to us as Americans to find another way to do things... take that metric system.
Post by
TCM1
many European countries do not use that format, but rather dd/MM/yyyy (19/03/2009).
In a word, 03/19/2009 would be Mar/19/2009 (or Mar-19-2009). This is
by far
more readable for European users, and I suppose it's pretty much the same for US users? You know, delimiters are important, too. No European uses 19/03/2009. It's 19.03.2009 or 2009-03-19 if you like ISO. At least, when using slashes, there is a hint the date might be in american format. If you start mixing slashes with the european order, then even more confusing arises. Same with Mar-19-2009, this is horrible. You are using ISO delimiters but american order. It's just sick.
Dates should look as follows:
MM/DD/(YY)YY (actually they shouldn't look like this, but at least the slashes are warning you about the incoming nonsense)
DD.MM.(YY)YY (better order but common to Europeans mostly)
(YY)YY-MM-DD (sorts nicely, ISO standard)
Edit: And what's so bad about writing literally March 19th, 2009? People using MM/DD/YYYY often argue that it mimics the spoken order. Well, write it like you speak it then if you're writing a sentence. You aren't saying "six slash nineteen slash two-thousand-nine", are you? For example, Germans literally
do
say "nineteenth sixth two-thousand-nine" and our "-th" is basically a dot when written so 19.06.2009 makes perfect sense.
TLDR (I could write a whole rant about what's wrong with that abbreviation): MM/DD/YYYY just makes no sense, any way you look at it.
Post by
pelf
Most forum software lets you choose your own date format so hopefully they'll implement that someday and I'll be able to view my dates in YYYY-MM-DD like I prefer.
Post Reply
You are not logged in. Please
log in
to post a reply or
register
if you don't already have an account.
© 2021 Fanbyte
