In this meeting, the State Changers discussed ways to test applications based on different user time zones, with a proposition to alter the local machine's time zone setting to simulate different zones. This process was acknowledged as requiring more work but was seen as the best available solution at the moment. In addition, the integration of Google Calendar API to handle email-related functions was also discussed, which would eliminate the need for manual sending.
The State Changers notably discussed the complexity of dealing with times and dates, especially in international contexts. Mention was made of the ongoing concerns around the UNIX timestamp ("the 2038 problem") due to the limitation of a 32-bit signed integer contradicting the calculated number of seconds since January 1, 1970. However, it was clarified that the issue is already being addressed in most JavaScript environments since they work with milliseconds - a unit too large to fit into 32 bits, implying that 64-bit environments are in use, which mitigate this problem. The meeting concluded with a positive note, affirming that project is making progress, as the hard-coded email was reported to work correctly. The team agreed to meet again and continue the discussions. This meeting would be suitable for those interested in application testing across different time zones, dealing with date and time-related issues, especially in international contexts, and potential implications of the 2038 problem.
(Source: Office Hours 4/18 )
