+++ This bug was initially created as a clone of Bug #749794 +++ Description of problem: In anaconda timezone config window there's a checkbox to select if the system clock uses UTC or not. On my systems I never know if the clock uses UTC or not but it can easily be determined if I can see what's the current time on the system. --- Additional comment from clumens on 2011-11-02 09:31:07 EDT --- We use system-config-date for as much as possible on this screen, so I think it would be best if any changes were made there. --- Additional comment from nphilipp on 2012-01-31 11:55:17 EST --- This would clutter up the s-c-date UI (even more ;-), as you then would have a clock on both tabs ("Date and Time" and "Time Zone"), and probably in different places as well... I agree it would come in handy to know the current time when setting the time zone, but I'd first need to come up with a (UI-wise) better way of doing it.
Selecting whether the system clock uses UTC vs local time is completely orthogonal to selecting which time zone a user resides in. Therefore, that checkbox does not belong on the 'Time Zone' tab. I agree with the OP that this warrants a separate time indicator to show current time according to the hardware clock. This would be displayed in local time (so that the user can sanity check it), and so would be a function of the currently selected setting of the 'System clock uses UTC' checkbox, and the currently selected time zone. If this would be considered too cluttered, then perhaps 'Hardware clock' deserves its own tab. I think this conceptual separation would help reduce user confusion. This would also provide real estate to provide an explanation of the 'System clock uses UTC' setting, which is likely to be cryptic to new users, along with guidance on how to set this appropriately. There would be ample room for the local time according to the hardware clock display (as a function of currently selected time zone, and local vs UTC hardware clock setting).
Thanks for taking the time to submit this request for enhancement. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to implement this feature, sorry for that. Because I don't actively develop system-config-date anymore, I won't likely find the time to work on this ticket, so I'll close this bug now.