Re: [FeedValidator] What timezones should be valid?

Mads Hjorth wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am trying to parse some feeds using the validator on http://validator.w3.org/feed/
> 
> My example does not validate, and I expect an error in the validator.

The validator message in this case is correct as it reflects the 
behavior specified by the relevant specifications.

> When I include a date in a lastBuildDate field, with a timezone of CET  
> my feed does not validate.
> 
> 	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2002 08:00:00 CET</lastBuildDate>  leads  
> to  "lastBuildDate must be an RFC-822 date-time"
> 
> where as
> 
> 	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2002 08:00:00 EST</lastBuildDate>  does  
> validate.
> 
> I am not sure why Eastern Standard Time is valid and Central European  
> Time is not. <deep breath, diving into RFC-822  -> ANSI X3.51-1975 ->  
> FIPS 59, deep breath>
> 
> It turns out that the only valid identifiers for time zones are UT/GMT  
> and EST/CST/MST/PST. <Insert rant about culture biased standards here!>
> 
> It seems I am left with +0100 as a time zone for Copenhagen, Denmark.   
> In the ansi standard all that is mentioned about this format, is  
> "Local differential hours+min. (HHMM)".
> 
> Does this mean an offset to GMT?
> 
> Don't I loose alot of information about my timezone, by only  
> referencing an offset? What about Daylight Saving etc...
> 
> What is the best practice for adding date information to feeds  
> originating from outside of the few named timezones in the applied  
> standards.
> 
> Is it way out of hand to recommend an ISO 8601 date instead?

Both RSS 1.0 and the Atom formats use ISO 8601 based dates and times.

Both ISO 8601 and RFC 822 based timestamps support offset from GMT as a 
notation.

If you would like to discuss recommendations for RSS 2.0, I would 
suggest pursuing that on the RSS Advisory Board mailing list.  The feed 
validator already produces a number of recommendations based on their 
best practices profile.

> Regards
> 
> Mads Hjorth
> External Lecturer, OOP. IT University of Copenhagen.
> www : www.itu.dk/people/madsh
> mail : [email protected]

- Sam Ruby



 
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