Bug#558016: debian-installer: UTC question is unnecessary when using NTP

[Michael Gilbert <michael.s.gilbert@gmail.com>]

On Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:39:41 +0100 Frans Pop wrote:

> reassign 558016 clock-setup
> thanks
> 
> On Wednesday 25 November 2009, Michael Gilbert wrote:
> > suppose that at the beginning of the installation the user says "yes" to
> > whether they want their clock to be autamically configured with NTP,
> > then (ideally) they should never have to worry about the clock ever
> > again.
> >
> > however, as the installer finishes up, it asks whether or not the clock
> > is set to UTC, which can be information overload to many users. since
> > he/she has already told the clock to sync itself automatically, this
> > question is not really necessary. i would recommend disabling that
> > prompt if the user chooses NTP.
> 
> The functionality behind the question is more complex. It is how the clock 
> *should* be set. Up to that point the hardware clock has not yet been set. 
> The update from NTP only sets the system clock, not the hardware clock.
> 
> You are correct in so far that the wording of the template should be 
> changed to better reflect this.

would it be possible for the installer to automatically determine the
correct UTC setting based on info retrieved from the NTP clock?

i.e. if the internal clock differs from the NTP clock by 6 hours and
the user said that they are in the Eastern US timezone, then you can
assume they are using local time and not UTC.  similarly, if the clocks
are the same, then you can assume that they are using UTC.

if the clocks differ by some strange value, then maybe bring up an "are
you sure about your time zone" dialog.

i would hope that this dialog can be done away with (unless the user
chooses to not configure NTP).

mike