Your case is specific but you stated it as a general fact that "Most
computers do not have an AUTOMATIC sync to real time." That statement is
demonstrably false and I'm pointing that out. When you are "speaking
from the perspective of somebody who does NOT live in an urban area"
then you are only referring to your case at hand which is not the same
as the original blanket statement.
The mechanics of how a particular device determines the time and
location is not material to the fact that it will TRY to do so in the
way it was programmed. If it fails it will have fallback logic but it
does try and refutes your original blanket statement. In many cases the
fallback will assume the last timezone and just keep automatically
updating its time using that previous timezone.
Since NTP doesn't care about timezones as it works entirely in UTC, any
device looking for the time will get the correct UTC and simply apply
the wrong offset at worst. Cellphones near timezone borders have
experienced this problem for years which is why you can change your
timezone manually on the phone but automatic time updates will still
happen. Even some much older devices like alarm systems and door access
controllers had dial-up time setting capabilities that would dial into
NIST or USNO and set the time by modem. The UTC is transmitted and the
local device accounts for timezone offset. With the availability of time
via modem and NTP over the Internet, location has never been a concern
for keeping a clock synchronized. The offset may be incorrect for human
users of that device but the clock itself will be synchronized.
Geolocation is improving with time and for the purposes of determining a
time zone will more likely than not return a correct result. There are
always corner cases to any automated logic but that doesn't stop the
device from trying.
On 2022-07-10 07:24, Michael or Penny Novack wrote:
Actually, out of the box both MacOS since around Sierra and Windows
10/11 do indeed set up automatic clock synchronization as well as
location tracking unless the user explicitly disables either or both
of these features. So if you buy a shiny new laptop in New York state
and boot up there, then without changing any settings fly to
California and boot up again, your clock will change to display the
correct local time.
Actually, I am always speaking from the perspective of somebody who does
NOT live in an urban area. Even a cell phone HERE (at my house) would
not know where it was, as there is no cell service available. Nor, when
various things try to figure out where I am by IP address, does that
give MY location but instead the location of the server to which my
connection goes. Reasonably close now but that would have been much
farther away back before cable reached here as a dial-up provider or a
satellite provider might be almost anywhere. Most PC's do not have GPS
hardware.
Now in my case, the network is close enough (to determine time zone) But
consider the similar mountainous rural area in TN where that state meets
GA and AL (TN is not just in one time zone). Whether you were located in
a "hollow" or up on a ridge would determine if you had cell service. If
you did have cable internet, the server would likely be located some
distance off, say the nearest decent size city, Chattanooga, but you
might not be in that time zone (same likely if located just across the
state line in AL). No cable yet so still connected by dial-up or
satellite? Then the network to which connected could be FAR off.
Michael D Novack
PS -- For our business users ----- in rural areas along state boundaries
ZIP code is not a reliable indication of the state in which that address
is located. Postal mail delivery routes do not respect state boundaries.
Because this is not widely known, you are unlikely to get into trouble
with the authorities if this causes you to incorrectly charge sales tax.
But be prepared for a customer to complain of you charge them sales tax
on something their state does not tax << if you make the mistake in the
other direction, they are unlikely to complain >> Few businesses collect
"state" information. Where I used to work, did, but that involved
contracts, and so which state's contract laws applied was important.
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