date command is great but could use improvements

[David Chmelik]

How's Hacking?,

I love your UNIX-style date command, and used its format customizing 
XFCE desktop environment (DE) clock (adding many details) but seems date 
has inadequacies.
        I noticed two types for weeks in year: 1 to 53, 0 to 53, 
numbering 54 weeks, but there can't be 54, right?
        Only two options exist to number weekdays, when should be 
more/user-configurable.
        Glad to see one can display weekday 1 to 7 (how everyone thinks 
about it) except said 1 is Monday (as in Europe.)  I was shocked to see 
one can only display Sunday starting week at 0. Everyone thinks of days 
1 to 7, even programmers/sysadmins having to talk so users understand.  
Majority are PC users now with Linux kernel being most popular (normally 
GNU also available on Replicant/Android/etc.) but people where Sunday is 
first weekday (The United States of America, USA, and I've never heard a 
programmer/sysadmin/scientist/professor who uses UNIX/GNU//Linux say 
'zeroth weekday') will want PC (so date command) to number days from 1, 
as date numbers days month days 1 to up to 31, weeks 1 to 53, 
quarters/seasons 1 to 4, months & civil time 1 to 12.
        I'm European-American, programming since 1993, and may recall 
Monday was first weekday growing up in The United Kingdom (UK,) but 
moved to USA at age seven and they said Sunday is /first/ weekday, so 
that's what I use until revisiting Europe/Britain.  If date or clock 
displays day 0, I'd know it's Sunday, but every day after think it's day 
as a user (then may miss things I must go to.) For other almost or 97+% 
(non-programmer) people if they want detailed system tray clock, 
problem's even worse.
        I won't say break UNIX tradition, but how about adding more 
types or making configurable? (even some British Isles programmers might 
want Monday 0.)
        Various other calendars are in usage worldwide that start week 
on other days, and I'm sure users start with day 1 (but some programmers 
might want day 0.)
        The older European calendar (still in some usage) counts days 
of the year: 1 to 365 or 366.
        Another British Isles time unit is fortnight: 14 days, which 
may not be used much, but I like it (of course has week 1 & 2.)
        Manpage grammar/typographical errors exist; alphabetic time 
zone abbreviation says EDT: likely you mean Eastern Time (ET, North 
America) zone, which contains at least two 'local times,' Eastern 
Standard Time (EST) & Eastern Daylight saving Time (EDT,) which aren't 
zones, rather than settings people & organizations/governments might 
choose or not in a zone, and adherence varies.  I don't use Pacific 
Time's PDT because daylight saving time is unnatural/difficult 
(thousands to millions or more feel same) and I'm not working yet 
(besides volunteer Free/Libre Software (FLS) programming, helping at 
parents' rural place, rarely artwork.)  Users of date and derived GUI 
clocks might want time zone & local time.  Another manpage grammar 
mistake is saying 'alternate' when 'alternative' is meant: 'alternate' 
means to switch back & forth: alternating feet walking, and what 
alternators do in cars... 'alternative' is a choice.  FSF/GNU originated 
in USA which has some worse grammar... after people such as comic book & 
film/TV fans started saying 'alternate universes' others started using 
'alternate' incorrectly lately... amateur dictionaries (forgot if USA's 
main, Merriam-Webster) did make such bad grammar official... so no big 
deal for some/most US Americans, but you'll confuse ones who haven't 
heard mistake and/or disagree (many intellectuals, English majors & 
instructors, older people) and international English speakers everywhere 
(as rest were/are in UK Commonwealth with somewhat closer dialects.)
        I'll talk to *BSD/IllumOS UNIX people about similar issues.
        Ntpd isn't coreutils, but I wish I could set system clock to 
PST and get updates from UTC-8 servers, but display reminder others use 
PDT, and might be nice if date allowed such clarification (as many 
scientists dislike unnatural time, especially some/many programmers who 
tend to stay up late, and astronomers.)  Setting system clock to UTC 
won't do (unless visiting UTC.)

Happy Hacking,
David (darwin/DarwinElf: EFnet IRC & IRCnet, libera & OFTC, etc., XMPP 
darwin@fsf.org)
http://davidchmelik.com/ (updated first) & http://davidchmelik.com/math/ 
(including CS)
http://mirror.davidchmelik.com/ (more uptime)