57: Why is time so hard to work with?

At some point, every developer needs to deal with time in their code. Here are some reasons coding with times and dates should fill you with dread.

Show Notes

This week's episode is another deep-dive into a niche coding topic. This time, we're dealing with time. In short, writing code that deals with times and dates is horrible. We're here to tell you that, as a sensible developer, you should avoid it at all costs.

But if you're unlucky enough to actually _have_ to programme with times and dates, what are some of the common pitfalls? What "gotchas" are lurking in the depths? And how can you deal with them in the most effective way (and hopefully not be driven insane in the process)? Find out all this and more in this week's timely instalment of A Question of Code.

Mentioned in this episode

• The Problem with Time & Timezones - Computerphile
• Internationalis(z)ing Code - Computerphile
• Why 2020 Started On December 30th - Tom Scott
• The world's silliest time zones - Map Men
• Daylight Saving Time Explained - CGP Grey
• moment.js

What is A Question of Code?

A newbie coder and a seasoned veteran discuss the questions that always come up when someone begins learning to code.

Ed is looking at getting a career in programming and has been learning to code for just over a year. During this time he’s been building up a stack of questions that keep coming up from other newbie coders. Luckily, he’s got someone he can ask for help: Tom. Tom’s a seasoned coder, having worked in the industry for a few years now and has all the answers Ed needs, or does he?