From: Niklas Backlund <d99-nba@...>
Date: 2000-11-23T03:38:42+09:00
Subject: [ruby-talk:6521] Time Trouble

Hi,

here I am with my small problems again! =)

Can someone please explain this result to me:

irb(main):001:0> 1.upto(12) {|m| puts Time.local(2000, m, 1, 0, 0)}
Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT+1:00 2000
Tue Feb 01 00:00:00 GMT+1:00 2000
Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 GMT+1:00 2000
Sat Apr 01 01:00:00 GMT+1:00 2000
Mon May 01 01:00:00 GMT+1:00 2000
Thu Jun 01 01:00:00 GMT+1:00 2000
Sat Jul 01 01:00:00 GMT+1:00 2000
Tue Aug 01 01:00:00 GMT+1:00 2000
Fri Sep 01 01:00:00 GMT+1:00 2000
Sun Oct 01 01:00:00 GMT+1:00 2000
Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 GMT+1:00 2000
Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 GMT+1:00 2000

All the Time's that are created in Apr..Oct get an hour
offset added! So in order to create midnight of, say,
Sep 21, I have to write:

irb(main):003:0> puts Time.local(2000, 9, 20, 23, 0)
Thu Sep 21 00:00:00 GMT+1:00 2000

Feature or bug?

If it's a feature, I would say that it clearly violates
the Principle of Least Surprise. Or does someone have
an argument that could convince me of the opposite?

/Niklas