Upcoming downtime - 10/3 (and American vs. European date notation)

***tabacco*** · 10-01-2006, 08:59 PM

Just received this from our datacenter:

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Planet

During a recent facility inspection, Facility Engineers have found it necessary to correct a power issue that affects your server. Our facility engineers will need to take your server down to address this problem, and as such a maintenance window has been scheduled for Tuesday, October 3, 2006, from 0000hrs to 0600hrs CDT, during which time this work will be performed.

This maintenance is necessary in order to provide your server with our high availability offerings. The server should only be offline for approximately 20-30 minutes between this time, and not the entire duration.

Since they'll be shutting the server down, AG (as well as Idle Thumbs) will be completely unavailable during the outage.

*stepurhan* · 10-02-2006, 09:09 AM

Thanks for the advance warning (though I did think 10th March was quite some time away yet. Darn American dating system.

)

Legolas813 · 10-02-2006, 09:12 AM

The month should go first. October 3. 10/3. It just makes sense.

I'll never understand why the rest of the world does it differently.

***Jackal*** · 10-02-2006, 09:24 AM

I find the thread title amusingly paradoxical.

That is all.

AFGNCAAP · 10-02-2006, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Legolas813

The month should go first. October 3. 10/3. It just makes sense.

I'll never understand why the rest of the world does it differently.

We've had this discussion before, and decided that it's Americans who are being crazy here.

bulldog · 10-02-2006, 10:57 AM

thanks for the notice

Legolas813 · 10-02-2006, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AFGNCAAP

We've had this discussion before, and decided that it's Americans who are being crazy here.

So who made this decision?

It's actually the overseas people who are crazy.

AGA · 10-02-2006, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Legolas813

So who made this decision?

The people who invented the language? i.e. NOT AMERICANS!

*Melanie68* · 10-02-2006, 12:17 PM

Can't we all just get along?

Giligan · 10-02-2006, 12:33 PM

I think that the Limeys love a mildly heated discussion.

Trumgottist · 10-02-2006, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Legolas813

So who made this decision?

It's actually the overseas people who are crazy.

That was what AFGNCAAP said: "The Americans are being crazy here."

AFGNCAAP · 10-02-2006, 12:50 PM

It's FLAMEWAR!

Giligan · 10-02-2006, 12:54 PM

ATMachine · 10-02-2006, 01:48 PM

Everyone's wrong here! The year should go first!

RLacey · 10-02-2006, 01:58 PM

And this is why I always write dates out in full nowadays...

And even then the date should come first. It's "2nd October, 2006" today, not "October 2, 2006"...

rlpw · 10-07-2006, 01:13 PM

I cannot say anything about crazy Americans. We invented the metric system then refused to use it. go figure

Scoville · 10-07-2006, 01:27 PM

Date first makes little sense. The first number should be the most important, as that is the one that has the most attention drawn to it. Clearly the year is least important, as you rarely talk about specific dates years in advance (so most dates will be within the next year or two any way), so both systems have that right.

I'd say the month is definitely the most important of the three. If someone is telling you about an upcoming event and you were only able to hear one of the three pieces of information (month, date, or year), month would be the one you would most want to hear. If someone were to say something will happen on, say, the 17th, that information is useless (unless there is an implication that it occurs within the current month). If you don't know if this event is on December 17, June 17, or August 17, how can you prepare at all for it? But if you at least have the month you can narrow the event down to a smaller timeframe.

In summation: all you Europeans are crazy.

Trumgottist · 10-07-2006, 02:02 PM

So, you're trying to argue about what makes sense? I can see the logic behind two orderings.

Going from the large to the small:
1978-11-10 (I'm born in November)

Going from small to large:
16/7-1981 (I have a sister born in July.)

Also note the different use of separator characters in my two examples. x/y typically means x of y. In the above case, the 16th of the seventh. Using that character backwards is what seems the most wrong to me about the American system. Do you have an explanation for that? (That last question is out of interest, not intended as a provocation.)

10/21/37? Nah. Looks wrong.

AFGNCAAP · 10-07-2006, 02:04 PM

Scoville, so you argue that the house number is more important than the street name in the US?

Legolas813 · 10-07-2006, 02:10 PM

The Secret Files board is driving me crazy because of the dates. Literally I am about to rip my hair out, it is so annoying. I have to get off the computer before I break something.

http://forum.deepsilver.com/forumdisplay.php?f=11

10-02-2006, 09:09 AM	#2
stepurhan Freeware Co-ordinator Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: South East England. Posts: 7,309	Thanks for the advance warning (though I did think 10th March was quite some time away yet. Darn American dating system. ) Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ No Nonsense Nonsonnets #43 Cold Topic A thread most controversial, that’s what I want to start Full of impassioned arguments, of posting from the heart And for this stimulation all will be thankful to me On come on everybody it won’t work if you agree

10-02-2006, 09:12 AM	#3
Legolas813 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 1,783	The month should go first. October 3. 10/3. It just makes sense. I'll never understand why the rest of the world does it differently. Share Share this post on Twitter

10-02-2006, 09:24 AM	#4
*Jackal* Hopeful skeptic Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Toronto Posts: 7,743	I find the thread title amusingly paradoxical. That is all. Share Share this post on Twitter

10-02-2006, 10:57 AM	#6
bulldog Second Degree Black Belt Join Date: May 2006 Location: Georgia Posts: 6,086	thanks for the notice Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Lord make my words as sweet as honey, for tomorrow I may have to eat them. “Pretty badass and tough and won't take crap from anyone” -Squinky

10-02-2006, 12:17 PM	#9
Melanie68 Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,907	Can't we all just get along? Share Share this post on Twitter

10-02-2006, 12:33 PM	#10
Giligan The Greater Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 6,541	I think that the Limeys love a mildly heated discussion. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Cliff Bleszinski

10-02-2006, 12:50 PM	#12
AFGNCAAP Dungeon Master Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Poland Posts: 4,152	It's FLAMEWAR! Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ What's happening? Wh... Where am I?

10-02-2006, 12:54 PM	#13
Giligan The Greater Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 6,541	Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Cliff Bleszinski

10-02-2006, 01:48 PM	#14
ATMachine Retired Buccaneer Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 779	Everyone's wrong here! The year should go first! Share Share this post on Twitter

10-02-2006, 01:58 PM	#15
RLacey The Thread™ will die. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 22,542	And this is why I always write dates out in full nowadays... And even then the date should come first. It's "2nd October, 2006" today, not "October 2, 2006"... Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ RLacey \| Killer of the Thread™ I do not change to be perfect. Perfect changes to be me.

10-07-2006, 01:13 PM	#16
rlpw Creepy Father Figure Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Dammit! Posts: 5,107	I cannot say anything about crazy Americans. We invented the metric system then refused to use it. go figure Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ The Nature Conservancy www.soulpancake.com www.ted.com Twitter

10-07-2006, 01:27 PM	#17
Scoville Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 324	Date first makes little sense. The first number should be the most important, as that is the one that has the most attention drawn to it. Clearly the year is least important, as you rarely talk about specific dates years in advance (so most dates will be within the next year or two any way), so both systems have that right. I'd say the month is definitely the most important of the three. If someone is telling you about an upcoming event and you were only able to hear one of the three pieces of information (month, date, or year), month would be the one you would most want to hear. If someone were to say something will happen on, say, the 17th, that information is useless (unless there is an implication that it occurs within the current month). If you don't know if this event is on December 17, June 17, or August 17, how can you prepare at all for it? But if you at least have the month you can narrow the event down to a smaller timeframe. In summation: all you Europeans are crazy. Share Share this post on Twitter

10-07-2006, 02:02 PM	#18
Trumgottist Game Creator Hobbyist Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Stockholm (or Gotland) Posts: 2,609	So, you're trying to argue about what makes sense? I can see the logic behind two orderings. Going from the large to the small: 1978-11-10 (I'm born in November) Going from small to large: 16/7-1981 (I have a sister born in July.) Also note the different use of separator characters in my two examples. x/y typically means x of y. In the above case, the 16th of the seventh. Using that character backwards is what seems the most wrong to me about the American system. Do you have an explanation for that? (That last question is out of interest, not intended as a provocation.) 10/21/37? Nah. Looks wrong. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Play my game: Frasse and the Peas of Kejick. The Special Edition is now available! (Mac OS X or Windows.)

10-07-2006, 02:04 PM	#19
AFGNCAAP Dungeon Master Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Poland Posts: 4,152	Scoville, so you argue that the house number is more important than the street name in the US? Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ What's happening? Wh... Where am I?

10-07-2006, 02:10 PM	#20
Legolas813 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 1,783	The Secret Files board is driving me crazy because of the dates. Literally I am about to rip my hair out, it is so annoying. I have to get off the computer before I break something. http://forum.deepsilver.com/forumdisplay.php?f=11 Share Share this post on Twitter

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