[whatwg] Forms-related feedback

[Ian Hickson]

On Wed, 16 Jan 2013, TAMURA, Kent wrote:
> 
> * If the type=datetime UI asks a UTC datetime, type=datetime-local is enough
>   and type=datetime is unnecessary.

Yes, asking for a UTC datetime would be horrible UI.

>  * If the type=datetime UI asks a datetime and a timezone offset value,
> many users don't understand it.

Yes, asking for a timezone offset would be terrible UI.


> * If the type=datetime UI asks a local datetime, UA needs to convert local
> datetime to UTC datetime, of course.
>   However, it's very hard to implement.
>    ** The UI needs extra work for edge cases of daylight saving time -
> standard time switching.
>    ** A local computer doesn't have complete information of daylight saving
> time period of every year.

Yes, it's hard to implement. But someone has to do it. I'd rather it was 
you and a handful of other browser vendors than a million Web authors.

The harder something is to do, the more valuable it is for browser vendors 
to be the ones to do it rather than the site authors.


> The Google Calendar's UI is equivalent to type=datetime-local with an 
> optional timezone selector.

The key difference is that Google Calendar converts the time to UTC on the 
backend. That's not the same as type=datetime-local with an optional 
timezone selector. In fact it's the precise key difference between 
datetime-local and datetime.

-- 
Ian Hickson               U+1047E                )\._.,--....,'``.    fL
http://ln.hixie.ch/       U+263A                /,   _.. \   _\  ;`._ ,.
Things that are impossible just take longer.   `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'